Iraqi parliament candidate drops from electoral race over alleged sex tape

A candidate belonging to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi’s Nasr (Victory) Coalition, has been removed from the running because of a sex tape of her circulating on social media. The candidate, Dr. Intidhar Ahmed Jassim, submitted her resignation this morning but has insisted that the footage is fabricated and part of a conspiracy to defame her. […]

Watch the Kurdish Peshmerga train with the SPG-9

The SPG-9 is a recoilless rifle designed by the Soviet Union and brought into service in 1962 under the nomenclature of Kopye (Spear). It fires a 73mm projectile that travels at speeds of up to 700 meters per second and is stabilized by an expanding fin system like that of an RPG-7 projectile. The weapon […]

Prime Minister Barzani discusses Kurdistan and the world at hand

Nechirvan Barzani, Prime Minister of the Kurdish Regional Government, has expressed that relations between Kurdistan and Iran are in good standing and that the KRG is eager to resume flights between the two. During a press conference last week the Prime Minister said, “We are happy with the restart of flights between Tehran, Erbil and Sulaimani. […]

Anarchy in Afrin as Turkey attempts to control the city

It has been almost one month since Turkish military forces and their proxy militia the Free Syrian Army seized control of the previously Kurdish occupied city of Afrin. Now, residents and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) say that chaos and anarchy have taken hold of the once peaceful city. Looting, torture and killing have […]

The old guard does not want new political parties forming in Kurdistan

As politicians prepare to begin campaigning for a chance to be chosen for a seat in Iraq’s parliament in Kurdistan and future elections, many have strong feeling towards the current state of affairs in the nation. Mala Bakhtiar, a high-ranking member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan political party, believes that the PUK and KDP […]

Iraqi Prime Minister denies Turkish military incursion

 Haider al-Abadi, Iraq’s prime Minister, has demanded that the PKK militant’s within Kurdistan’s borders cease and desist all attacks against Turkey. He made it clear that the constitution of Iraq forbids a group or collective from threatening another country’s national security, especially from within Iraq. He also insisted that the Turkish military had not entered […]

Kirkuk residents flee their homes in fear of ISIS resurgence

Kirkuk residents are fleeing their homes in the belief that the Islamic State will re-emerge due to the lack of security forces in the region. Residents say that Islamic State militants infiltrate their villages during the night to procure food and supplies, threatening villagers lives and forcing them to flee. For those that refuse to […]

SDF and Iraq may fight ISIS side by side

The Kurdish comprised Syrian Democratic Forces are considering conducting joint anti-terror operations with Iraqi military forces in Syria. The Islamic State is supposedly reemerging around the Euphrates River valley that runs the two countries shared border. The Islamic State is also beginning to use sleeper cell based insurgency tactics to strike at security forces with increasing […]

Turkey intends to move on Manbij after Tal Rifaat

Bekir Bozdag, Deputy Prime Minister for Turkey, has suggested that Turkey still intends to move on from Afrin and reclaim Manbij while eliminating the YPG presence there and eventually moving on to the PKK in Sinjar. Bozdag told Turkish media, “Just as Afrin was cleared of the YPG/PYD terror organization, now Tal Rifaat will be cleared. Manbij […]

KRG has little hope for Kirkuk elections

Members of the Kurdish Regional government are doubtful that their presence in Kirkuk will be reinforced by votes due to the absence of a Kurdish presence in the region. Others believe that due to the increase in Shiite influence in Kirkuk will lead to corruption. Head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan’s Kirkuk branch, Mohammed Othman said, “Kurds […]

Turkish military enters Iraqi-Kurdistan

Despite the PKK’s departure from Sinjar, the Turkish military is continuing to advance on the northern Iraqi-Kurdistan border and the airstrikes and artillery bombardment has only intensified. Now soldiers have set-up forward operations outposts atop of eight separate mountains in the region this past week just north of Erbil. The Turkish army is roughly 20 kilometers […]

Peshmerga deny they are being sent back to Kirkuk

The Secretary-General for the Ministry of Peshmerga, Jabar Yawar, has refuted the claims that the Kurdish Peshmerga will be deployed to the disputed area of Kirkuk to assist Iraqi Security forces. Yawar stated during a press confrence that, “So far there has been no official meeting between KRG’s Ministry of Peshmerga and Iraq’s Ministry of Defense or between […]