Iraq

BAGHDAD, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- A total of five shells struck Friday a military base housing U.S. forces in Iraq's northern province of Nineveh, the Iraqi military said.

The attack took place in the night when the shells landed on al-Qayyara air base in south of the provincial capital city of Mosul, the media office affiliated with the Iraqi Joint Operations Command said in a statement.

The were no human or material casualties by the attack, the statement said.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq’s leading Shi’ite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, on Friday condemned the use of force to disperse protest camps across the country, and renewed calls for early elections to be held in a free and fair manner.

Sistani, who delivered his message through a representative at Friday prayers in the holy city of Kerbala, also “heavily condemned” U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan.

BAGHDAD, Jan 30 (NNN-NINA) – Iraq confirmed its solidarity with the Palestinians, in achieving their legitimate rights, a day after the announcement of the U.S. peace plan, or Deal of the Century.

“Iraq stands with its Palestinian brothers, in their legitimate rights, guaranteed by international legitimacy, the UN Security Council resolutions, and their right to return to their homes and lands,” the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said, in a statement.

BAGHDAD, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Caretaker Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday talked over the phone and condemned the rocket attack on the U.S. embassy in the Green Zone of Baghdad.

The two sides discussed strengthening the procedures of the Iraqi security forces responsible for protecting the U.S. embassy and other diplomatic missions, as well as following up investigations to bring those responsible for the attacks to justice, according to a statement issued by Abdul Mahdi's media office.

27 Jan 2020; MEMO: Thousands of university and school students in Iraq joined the anti-government protests yesterday, a day after Sadr supporters withdrew and the security forces cracked down on the demonstrators.

A security source in Baghdad police told Anadolu that thousands of students joined the protesters in Tahrir Aquare and Wathba Square in Baghdad.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Unidentified gunmen shot dead two protesters in the southern Iraqi city of Nassiriya after security forces began a crackdown on months-long demonstrations against the country’s largely Iran-backed ruling elite.

At least 75 protesters were wounded, mainly by live bullets, in clashes in Nassiriya overnight when security forces attempted to move them away from bridges in the city, police and health source said.

On Monday morning, clashes resumed in central Baghdad as police fired tear gas at demonstrators, Reuters reporters said.

BAGHDAD, Jan 27 (NNN-NINA) – Four Katyusha rockets landed near the U.S. embassy, in the heavily fortified Green Zone, in central Baghdad, official said.

The attack took place in the evening, when the four rockets landed near the U.S. embassy, the official said.

There was no casualty reported, as the rockets landed in empty area near the embassy, the official said.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces firing teargas and live bullets clashed with hundreds of protesters in central Baghdad on Sunday, a Reuters witness and security sources said, following a push to clear out a sit-in camp in the heart of the capital.

At least 14 protesters were injured, the security and medical sources said.

25 Jan 2019; MEMO: Iraqi Shia Cleric, Muqtada Al-Sadr, announced on Friday a “temporary halt” of resistance against the US occupation in Iraq, in an endeavour to avoid leading the country to war, Arabi21.com reported.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces raided Baghdad’s main protest site at Tahrir Square on Saturday, firing live rounds and tear gas at anti-government demonstrators who have camped out there for months, Reuters reporters said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties but at least seven people were wounded in clashes with police earlier in the day, medics and security sources said.

The clashes took place after authorities began removing concrete barriers near Tahrir Square and across at least one main bridge over the Tigris River in Baghdad.