Archiv: Iraq / Irak


30.05.2026 - 17:50 [ American Prospect ]

The Miller Doctrine

(May 27, 2026)

Yet proposals that skirt the edges of international law didn’t come out of nowhere. The U.S. under George W. Bush created legal mechanisms following the September 11th attacks to torture hundreds of people in CIA black sites and then at Guantanamo Bay. The Obama administration’s targeted drone strikes were assassinations by another name. The Biden administration further eroded international norms and subverted its own policies by financing Israel’s genocide in Gaza, in violation of the Leahy Law, which prohibits foreign military assistance to nations that violate human rights.

“Seems like Miller is sort of taking what he was already willing to do during the first term and then combining that with what Israel has been doing in the way it has just been completely ignoring any kind of international law, Geneva Conventions, any of it in its conduct in Gaza and Lebanon, to then influence U.S. foreign policy,” Annelle Sheline, a research fellow in the Middle East program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said in an interview.

In other words, Miller and the Trump administration have been able to steamroll what was left of international law; they just had to figure out how to do it.

28.05.2026 - 14:39 [ CNN ]

Trump’s ‘blow ‘em up’ threat to Oman means he’s now attacked or threatened 1 out of every 13 countries

He’s launched strikes in seven countries so far this term — Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen — after also attacking some of those countries in his first term. That doesn’t even count the strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, which have targeted nearly 60 vessels and killed more than 190 people.

He has also threatened or left open the possibility of strikes against seven others this term: Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Greenland (which is part of Denmark), Mexico, Panama and now Oman. He also threatened Mexico and North Korea in his first term.

20.05.2026 - 08:53 [ MSN.com ]

Iraq officials confirm second alleged Israeli base in desert

– U.S. reportedly knew of at least one Israeli base since June 2025 but likely withheld information from Iraq.

– Iraq was compelled to shut down its radar to protect U.S. aircraft during both the 12-day war and the 2026 conflict.

– The concealment of Israeli operations intensified scrutiny over Iraq’s sovereignty and coalition transparency.

– Iraqi political figures called for full transparency and stronger oversight mechanisms to prevent foreign intrusion.

18.05.2026 - 22:45 [ North Atlantic Treaty Organization ]

Relations with Iraq

(May 8, 2026)

– At the 2016 NATO Summit, Allied Leaders decided to provide direct support to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS/Daesh with NATO AWACS surveillance aircraft. They also agreed to provide a training and capacity-building effort within Iraq, at the request of the Iraqi government.

– In May 2017, NATO became a full member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS/Daesh, in which all individual Allies were already taking part

18.05.2026 - 22:40 [ Shafaq.com ]

Iraq denies radar detection of drones that struck Saudi Arabia

Iraqi air defense systems detected no trace of the three drones that struck Saudi facilities, the Foreign Ministry said Monday, announcing an investigation into how the aircraft crossed Iraqi territory undetected.

The ministry called on Riyadh to share relevant intelligence to help establish what happened, while reaffirming Baghdad‘s rejection of any threat to Saudi security or sovereignty.

18.05.2026 - 21:37 [ NewArab,com ]

The secret Israeli bases scandal roiling Iraqi politics

In a deeply embarrassing development for Baghdad, Israel established two forward-operating bases (FOBs) for supporting air campaigns against Iran on federal Iraqi territory in a flagrant violation of Iraq’s already fragile sovereignty.

The Wall Street Journal reported the first base’s existence, in the barren Nukhaib desert southwest of the Shia shrine cities of Najaf and Karbala, on 9 May. The New York Times further revealed Sunday that Israel also set up a second base somewhere else in the country’s western desert regions that it operated for over a year and even used during the June 2025 12-day war.

18.05.2026 - 21:30 [ Bundestag ]

Bundeswehreinsatz gegen den „Islamischen Staat“ wird fortgesetzt

(January 29, 2026)

Vor allem an der Grenze zur irakischen Region Anbar, aber auch in den zwischen Bagdad und Erbil umstrittenen Regionen in Nordirak sei der IS bestrebt, sich Rückzugsräume zu schaffen und erneut territorial Fuß zu fassen. Dabei stelle sich die Terrororganisation in ihren Befehls- und Kampfstrukturen zunehmend dezentral auf. So gelinge es ihr dem hohen Verfolgungsdruck teils auszuweichen.

Völkerrechtliche Grundlage für den Fähigkeitsaufbau der regulären irakischer Streit- und Sicherheitskräfte ist laut Bundesregierung die Zustimmung der irakischen Regierung sowie mehrere Resolutionen des UN-Sicherheitsrates, nach denen vom IS eine Bedrohung für den Weltfrieden und die internationale Sicherheit ausgeht.

18.05.2026 - 03:21 [ Shafaq.com ]

Israel‘s secret base in Iraq: what happened in the western desert and why Baghdad couldn‘t respond

(May 16, 2026)

The physical record is not seriously in dispute, and it begins with a shepherd. On March 4, a local herder in the remote desert southwest of Najaf and Karbala reported unusual helicopter activity to military authorities in Najaf. Iraqi forces were dispatched. They came under fire from the air. One soldier was killed, and two were wounded. Baghdad submitted a protest note to the Global Coalition without naming who had fired, and the incident was quietly classified —until the Wall Street Journal named the party responsible on May 9.

18.05.2026 - 02:34 [ New York Times ]

In Iraqi Desert, Two Israeli Outposts Were Kept Secret for Months

The presence of an Israeli outpost in Iraq was previously reported by The Wall Street Journal. Iraqi officials told The Times there was another undisclosed second base also in Iraq’s western desert.

The base Mr. al-Shammari came across predated the current war between the United States, Israel and Iran, the regional security officials said, and was used during the 12-day war against Tehran in June 2025.

Israeli forces began preparing to build the makeshift base as far back as late 2024, one of the regional officials said — identifying remote sites from which to operate in future conflicts.

18.05.2026 - 02:30 [ Middle East Eye ]

Iraqi farmer killed to hide evidence of two Israeli bases in country: Report

The presence of two secret Israeli bases in Iraq may have led to the death of a shepherd who discovered them, according to an investigation by The New York Times (NYT).

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Israel set up a covert outpost in Iraq’s western desert during the conflict with Iran. The site was reportedly used to support air operations and housed special forces units.

18.05.2026 - 02:22 [ Middle East Eye ]

Saudi Arabia intercepts three drones entering from Iraq

Saudi Arabia said it intercepted and destroyed three drones that entered its airspace from Iraq on Sunday morning.

In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said the drones were neutralised after crossing into Saudi territory.

10.05.2026 - 08:05 [ MSN.com ]

Israel built and defended a secret Iran war base in Iraq

An Iraqi government spokesman declined to comment further on the incident or whether it knew of the Israeli base.

10.05.2026 - 08:01 [ Wall Street Journal ]

Israel Built and Defended a Secret Iran War Base in Iraq

Israel set up a clandestine military outpost in the Iraqi desert to support its air campaign against Iran and launched airstrikes against Iraqi troops who almost discovered it early in the war, people familiar with the matter including U.S. officials said.

28.04.2026 - 15:29 [ Washington Post ]

Leak Severed a Link to Al-Qaeda‘s Secrets

(October 9, 2007)

The al-Qaeda video aired on Sept. 7 attracted international attention as the first new video message from the group‘s leader in three years. In it, a dark-bearded bin Laden urges Americans to convert to Islam and predicts failure for the Bush administration in Iraq and Afghanistan. The video was aired on hundreds of Western news Web sites nearly a full day before its release by a distribution company linked to al-Qaeda.

Computer logs and records reviewed by The Washington Post support SITE‘s claim that it snatched the video from al-Qaeda days beforehand. Katz requested that the precise date and details of the acquisition not be made public, saying such disclosures could reveal sensitive details about the company‘s methods.

03.04.2026 - 12:23 [ Says.com ]

Here Are The Countries’ Ships Allowed Through Iran’s Strait Of Hormuz

(March 27, 2026)

Below are other „friendly“ nations to Iran whose vessels are allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz

29.03.2026 - 12:18 [ Nicolas J.S. Davies / Mintpress.com ]

Libya, Syria, Somalia and Yemen: Calculating the Millions-High Death Toll of America’s Post-9/11 Wars

(26.4.2018)

As Barbara Lee presciently warned her colleagues before she cast her lone dissenting vote in 2001, we have “become the evil we deplore.” But these wars have not been accompanied by fearsome military parades (not yet) or speeches about conquering the world. Instead they have been politically justified by “information warfare” to demonize enemies and fabricate crises, and then waged in a “disguised, quiet, media free” way, to hide their cost in human blood from the American public and the world.

After 16 years of war, about 6 million violent deaths, 6 countries utterly destroyed and many more destabilized, it is urgent that the American public come to terms with the true human cost of our country’s wars and how we have been manipulated and misled into turning a blind eye to them – before they go on even longer, destroy more countries, further undermine the rule of international law and kill millions more of our fellow human beings.

29.03.2026 - 12:03 [ Reuters ]

Iraq conflict has killed a million, says survey

(January 30, 2008)

The margin of error in the survey, conducted in August and September 2007, was 1.7 percent, giving a range of deaths of 946,258 to 1.12 million.

ORB originally found that 1.2 million people had died, but decided to go back and conduct more research in rural areas to make the survey as comprehensive as possible and then came up with the revised figure.

29.03.2026 - 11:58 [ NPR.org ]

Survey Puts Iraqi War Dead Above One Million

(September 18, 2007)

The British polling agency ORB has released a new survey of Iraqis that suggests that more than one million Iraqis have been killed since the war began. One surprising finding from the study was that most of the estimated 1.2 million deaths were the result of a gun shot, not car bomb.

29.03.2026 - 11:46 [ Al Jazeera ]

How many countries has the US bombed since 2001, and how much has it cost?

(March 3, 2026)

In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks, President George W Bush launched what he called a “war on terror”, a global military campaign that reshaped US foreign policy and triggered wars, invasions and air strikes across numerous countries.

According to an analysis by Brown University’s Watson Institute of International & Public Affairs, US-led wars since 2001 have directly caused the deaths of about 940,000 people across Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen and other conflict zones

24.03.2026 - 13:32 [ Tagesschau.de ]

Missionen in Nahost: Wie sich der Iran-Krieg auf die Bundeswehr auswirkt

(March 11, 2026)

Zentrale Standorte der Bundeswehr sind der jordanische Luftwaffen-Stützpunkt Al-Asrak und eine multinationale Basis in Erbil, der Hauptstadt der autonomen Region Kurdistan im Nordirak. Dort hat die Bundeswehr bis vor Kurzem Sicherheitskräfte ausgebildet.

24.03.2026 - 13:26 [ Shafaq.com ]

Two rocket attacks hit Peshmerga 7th Division HQ within an hour

(today)

The First Area Command of the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga forces on Tuesday said the headquarters of the 7th Division came under two rocket attacks within an hour, with no casualties or material losses.

In a statement, the command indicated that the first strike occurred at 01:50 a.m., when five rockets hit the headquarters, followed by a second attack at 02:50 a.m., when another rocket landed near the site within the boundaries of Kalkin village.

24.03.2026 - 13:19 [ El Pais ]

The dilemma of Iraqi Kurds in the face of their Western allies’ offensive against Iran: ‘It’s not our war’

(March 23, 2026)

Sources within the Erbil government confirm to EL PAÍS that they have asked the Kurdish-Iranian militias not to launch an attack from Iraqi-Kurdish soil, fearing reprisals from a neighboring country that is far stronger and more militarily capable. “It’s not our war,” says a high-ranking official, echoing the regional mantra that resonates in the Gulf capitals, where Iranian fire is bombarding American targets and has wreaked havoc on the global supply of hydrocarbons, on which 90% of Iraqi exports depend.

24.03.2026 - 13:13 [ Shafaq.com ]

Airstrike targets headquarters of Faleh al-Fayyadh and Rayan al-Kildani in Mosul

The strikes come a day after a similar attack targeted PMF-linked figures in the Habbaniyah area in Anbar province, killing 15 fighters, including Saad Duwai, the PMF’s operations commander in Al-Anbar.

24.03.2026 - 13:08 [ Middle East Eye ]

Death toll from strikes on Iraq‘s Popular Mobilisation Forces reaches 15

The PMF confirmed in a statement the death of its Anbar commander, Saad al-Baiji, and 14 of his companions. It accused the United States of carrying out the attack, saying a US airstrike targeted a command headquarters while personnel were on duty.

Health sources said some of the wounded were in critical condition and the death toll could rise.

18.03.2026 - 17:15 [ CNN / Youtube ]

Enten: Key allies ‘absolutely despise’ US action in Iran

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten breaks down international support for US military action in Iran as President Donald Trump is asking for other countries to help secure shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz.

18.03.2026 - 16:58 [ Al Jazeera English / Youtube ]

Iraq’s capital Baghdad rocked by powerful blasts near US embassy

Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, has been rocked by a series of explosions close to the United States embassy in the city’s heavily fortified Green Zone as the rapidly escalating US-Israeli war on Iran continued to spill over the border.

Al Jazeera’s Assed Baig has the latest from the Iraqi capital.

06.03.2026 - 15:50 [ PBS.org ]

WATCH: House rejects Iran war powers resolution in narrow vote, following Senate‘s footsteps

While the tally in the House, 212-219, was expected to be tight, the outcome provided a clarifying snapshot of political support for, and opposition to, the U.S.-Israel military operation and Trump‘s rationale for bypassing Congress, which alone has the power to declare war. At the Capitol, the conflict has quickly carried echoes of the long wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and many Sept. 11-era veterans now serve in Congress.