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IRAQ

Iraq’s Sadr supporters prayer rally under political deadlock

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sadr

Thousands of supporters of Moqtada al-Sadr gathered in Baghdad for a prayer service. They were trying to get the talks about making a new government move faster. The Friday prayers were held allegedly to honour Sadr’s father, who was killed by Saddam in 1999. BAGHDAD: Thousands of supporters of Moqtada al-Sadr, an Iraqi Shiite leader, … Read more

German lawmakers recognize Yazidis ‘genocide’

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Yazidis

German lawmakers recognize massacre of Kurdish-speaking Yazidis. Recognition follows the lead of UN investigators. Germany is one of the few countries to have taken legal action against IS. German lawmakers on Thursday recognized the 2014 massacre of Kurdish-speaking Yazidis by Islamic State group jihadists in Iraq’s northwest as a “genocide”, following the lead of UN … Read more

Julian Assange lodges UK appeal against US extradition

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Julian Assange
  • Wikileaks founder Julian Assange files an appeal against extradition to the United States.
  • The Australian publisher has been imprisoned in a maximum-security facility since 2019.
  • He is wanted to face trial for allegedly violating the US Espionage Act by publishing military and diplomatic files.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange filed an appeal against extradition to the United States on Friday, as supporters chastised the British government.

Assange, who turns 51 on Sunday, has been imprisoned in a maximum-security facility since 2019.

Hundreds of people demonstrated outside Britain’s interior ministry on Friday to demand his release, including his wife Stella.

Home Secretary Priti Patel approved the extradition last month, but court officials confirmed to AFP an application to appeal had been received on Friday.

“We’re not at the end of the road here,” Stella Assange, who married the Australian publisher earlier this year, told reporters when Patel announced her decision.

“We’re going to fight this. We’re going to use every appeal avenue.”

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Assange is wanted to face trial for allegedly violating the US Espionage Act by publishing military and diplomatic files in 2010, related to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

He could face decades in jail if found guilty, but supporters portray him as a martyr to press freedom after he was taken into UK custody following a years-long stay in Ecuador’s embassy.

“He’s been in prison for telling the truth,” supporter Gloria Wildman, 79, told AFP at Friday’s protest.

“If Julian Assange is not free, neither are we, none of us is free,” she said.

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Iran says Saudi Arabia is ready for direct talks

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Iranian Foreign Ministry: Saudi Arabia is prepared to resume direct diplomatic talks with Iran. Spokesman made comments after Iraqi PM visited Tehran to mediate between the two countries. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister met with Mustafa al-Kadhimi. One day after Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi visited Tehran to mediate between the two regional … Read more

Former lawyer denies British fraud allegations related to Iraq war claims

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british
  • Phil Shiner was disbarred in 2017 for pursuing bogus allegations of torture and murder by British forces.
  • He was granted bail pending a hearing on July 27.
  • Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said that no prosecutions have resulted from an investigation into Shiner’s conduct.

LONDON: A former British human rights lawyer on Monday denied fraud charges related to allegations of human rights violations committed by British soldiers during the Iraq war.

Phil Shiner, who is 65 years old, went to court in central London and said he wasn’t guilty of three claims-related crimes.

Read more: Third strike in 72 hours on northern Iraq gas complex

The Solicitors Regulation Authority disbarred him in 2017 for pursuing bogus allegations of torture and murder by British forces.

Shiner, a native of Birmingham, central England, spoke only to confirm his name, age, and address, and to respond “not guilty, sir” when the accusations were read to him.

He was granted bail pending a new hearing on July 27.

Read more: Iraq PM on imminent Riyadh, Tehran visit in mediation bid

When the British troops who fought in the battle came home, they were accused of raping, torturing, and putting people to death in a fake way.

In October, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said that no prosecutions had resulted from the investigation.

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IS kills 9 pro-regime fighters in eastern Syria: monitor

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IS

Islamic State group IS kills nine pro-regime fighters. Latest in a spate of attacks in the area claimed by the jihadist group. 30 Syrian soldiers and allied fighters killed this week. The Islamic State group IS has killed nine pro-regime fighters in one day in eastern Syria, a war monitor said Thursday, the latest in … Read more

Journalists demand Assange release from UK jail

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Journalists

Assange’s long-running legal saga began in 2010 after WikiLeaks published more than 500,000 classified US documents about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is wanted to face trial for violating the US Espionage Act and could face up to 175 years in jail if found guilty. The Assange case has become a cause celebre … Read more

Six people slain in an Iraq tribal dispute

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iraq

The fighting occurred in the southeastern province of Maysan, which borders Iran. The region is a route for drug trafficking and is often violent because of tribal tensions. In May, eight people were killed on the same land because people from the same tribe were fighting over land. Six people, including a soldier, were slain … Read more

Iraq confirms 13 cholera cases, scores suspected

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Iraq

Cholera outbreak in Iraq has infected at least 13 people, health officials say. Scores more suspected cases from northern Kurdistan region sent for testing. Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal disease that is treatable with antibiotics and hydration. A cholera outbreak in Iraq has infected at least 13 people, and scores more suspected cases, mostly from … Read more

Drone strike kills 4 PKK fighters in Iraqi Kurdistan: security

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PKK fighters

Kurdish sources say four PKK fighters killed in drone strike. Drone attack targeted vehicle belonging to PKK fighters in Kalar. No claim of responsibility for drone strike on Kalar has been made. According to Kurdish sources, four fighters from Turkey’s banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) were killed in a drone strike done by Turkey in … Read more

Germany, Switzerland arrest suspected IS sympathisers

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Germany

Four suspected members or sympathizers of the Islamic State group detained in Germany and Switzerland. The suspects are charged with “participation in or support for the outlawed organization In Germany, a man was detained in the western town of Roemerberg, federal prosecutors said. Four suspected members or sympathizers of the Islamic State group were detained … Read more

Iraq will replace Muqtada Al-Sadr’s bloc, says Speaker

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muqtada al-sadr’

Iraq’s parliament will take legal steps to replace Muqtada Al-legislative Sadr’s bloc, Speaker Mohammed Al-Halbousi said. The Sadrist faction resigned en masse after Al-Sadr asked them to during a protracted deadlock over creating a cabinet. Iraq’s parliament will take legal steps to replace Shiite cleric Muqtada Al-legislative Sadr’s bloc, as per parliamentary Speaker Mohammed Al-Halbousi, … Read more

War-scarred Iraq sinks deeper into political crisis

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Iraq war

Moqtada Sadr’s Shiite bloc, the biggest in parliament, resigns en masse. The move deepens uncertainty in country. Iraq is an oil-rich but poverty-stricken country battered by decades of war. Iraq, an oil-rich but poverty-stricken country battered by decades of war and insurgency, has been mired in a long political crisis that just took a turn … Read more

Iraq’s Congo fever death toll rises to 27: ministry

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Iraq

A total of 162 cases of haemorrhagic fever have been recorded since this year. The disease, also known as Congo fever, causes severe bleeding. People typically contract it through contact with the blood of infected animals. Iraq’s death toll from tick-borne diseases According to the most recent figures released Saturday by authorities battling an outbreak … Read more

From Saddam to IS: Iraq still exhuming mass graves

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Iraq

The site near Najaf has seen more than four decades of conflict and turmoil. Dictator Saddam Hussein went to war with Iran from 1980 to 1988. Hassan al-Anazi,  asked for the missing person database. A noisy backhoe excavates earth to uncover yet another mass grave in Iraq, human remains are exhumed, and forensics experts begin … Read more

Armed drone attack in Irbil, Iraq

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irbil drone

An armed drone struck a road on the outskirts of Irbil, Iraqi Kurdistan’s capital. The attack took place three kilometres from the building site of the new US consulate in Irbil. An armed drone struck a road on the outskirts of Irbil, Iraqi Kurdistan’s capital, on Wednesday evening, injuring three individuals, according to security agencies. … Read more

Five IS fighters slain near Baghdad

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baghdad

Militants from the violent Islamic State (IS) group were killed in a confrontation near Baghdad. A paramilitary Hashd Shaabi unit engaged with IS militants late Monday in the Tarmiyah area. Iraq’s security forces have been conducting operations against extremist militants in recent months. Five militants from the violent Islamic State (IS) group were killed in … Read more

Iraq antiquities case: Briton jailed 15 years, German freed

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Iraq

Iraqi court jails British man for 15 years for attempting to transport antiquities. Maximum penalty for the offence is death by hanging. Co-accused Volker Waldmann, 60, who was visiting Iraq with Fitton, acquitted. Iraq: A British retiree was sentenced to 15 years in prison by an Iraqi court on Monday for attempting to transport antiquities … Read more

British man sentenced to 15 years in prison for smuggling relics from Iraq

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british man

An Iraqi court sentenced a British man to 15 years in prison for attempting to smuggle historic treasures out of the country. James Fitton, 66, was arrested for bringing small bits of antique pottery in his luggage at Baghdad International Airport. German Wolker Waldmann was convicted of the same charges. An Iraqi court sentenced a … Read more

Iraq claims to have 50 IS prisoners from Kurd Syrian forces

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Iraqi security officials claimed on Wednesday that they had received 50 Islamic State (IS) fighters arrested earlier in Syria by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). According to the media office of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC), the captives were handed over through the Rabia border crossing in Iraq’s northern province of Nineveh, with … Read more

UK to deport 30 Kurdish refugees to Iraq on ‘high threat’ charter flight

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UK Iraq

The UK Home Office is planning to deport up to 30 Kurdish asylum applicants to Iraq on a single charter flight. The expedition to Irbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, is fraught with danger. Contractors in charge of the voyage have been given specific training to deal with the “high potential of kidnapping from both Daesh and other … Read more

Three missiles fell outside US military air base

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iraq

An Iraqi army source claimed three missiles fell outside the perimeter of an air base housing US military specialists and agencies in Iraq’s western region of Anbar on Monday. According to an official from the Anbar Operations Command who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the three missiles fell in the evening near the Ayn … Read more

Irish court finds ex-soldier Lisa Smith guilty of joining IS

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Irish

Three judges at Dublin’s Special Criminal Court On Monday found former soldier Lisa Smith guilty of joining the so-called Islamic State group in Syria.

Smith, 40, sobbed in the dock as Judge Tony Hunt read the panel’s decision after a nine-week trial.

The Muslim convert, who appeared in court wearing a hijab, pleaded not guilty to membership in an illegal terrorist group between October 28, 2015 and December 1, 2019.

Judge Hunt said the prosecution had established beyond reasonable doubt that she travelled to Syria “with her eyes open” and pledged allegiance to the group, led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

She was acquitted of a separate charge of financing terrorism by sending 800 euros ($900) to aid medical treatment for a Syrian man in Turkey.

Hunt said there was reasonable doubt that she intended the money to be used for humanitarian purposes rather than to fund terrorism.

He granted her bail until a sentencing hearing on July 11.

During the trial, which began in January, prosecutors detailed how Smith, who was a member of the Irish Defence Forces from 2001 to 2011, travelled to IS-controlled territory in 2015 after converting to Islam.

In 2012, she went on pilgrimage to Mecca and expressed a desire on an Islamic Facebook page to live under Sharia law and to die a martyr.

The court was told that she bought a one-way ticket from Dublin to Turkey, crossing the border into Syria and living in Raqqa, the capital of the Islamic State’s self-styled caliphate.

Read more; Irish PM urges UK to abide by post-Brexit trade deal

At the time, the hardline Islamists ruled over vast swathes of Syria and Iraq, attracting thousands of foreign fighters to their cause before the group’s territorial defeat in the region.

After failing to convince her husband to join her, Smith divorced him in 2016 and married a UK national involved in the group’s armed patrols.

As IS lost ground to a US-led coalition on the battlefield and towns and cities under its sway fell, Smith was forced to flee Raqqa and then Baghouz, their last remaining stronghold, before returning to Ireland.

She was arrested on arrival at Dublin airport on December 1, 2019 with her young daughter.

Defence lawyers argued that Smith’s presence in IS territory did not make her a de facto member of the extremist Sunni group.

They have stated that it could only be argued “at a stretch” that she helped the group because she provided a home for her husband.

The three judges presided over the Special Criminal Court, which hears cases involving terrorism and organised crime.

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Iran Guards accuse ‘Zionists’ of assassinating colonel

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Iran

The head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards accused “Zionists” of assassinating a colonel earlier this month in Tehran, according to the Guards’ official website. Colonel Sayyad Khodai, 50, was fatally shot outside his home in Tehran’s east on May 22 by assailants on motorcycles. According to official media, he was shot five times. According to an … Read more

IS plotter of Baghdad market bombing sentenced to death

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Baghdad

An Iraqi court sentenced to death on Monday an Islamic State group member convicted of plotting a 2021 bomb attack in a crowded Baghdad market that killed 32 people.

It was the city’s first major suicide bombing in three years, bringing an end to a period of relative calm following Iraq’s declaration of victory over the jihadist group in late 2017.

The unnamed man was found guilty of planning the January 2021 twin suicide bombing at Baghdad’s Tayaran Square market, which injured 110 people.

 

A Baghdad court has sentenced the attack’s “primary perpetrator”, the Supreme Judicial Council said in a statement.

He had confessed to being part of IS since 2012 and to having equipped the two suicide attackers.

In the attack, one man drew a crowd by claiming to feel sick before he detonated his explosives belt, the interior ministry said at the time.

As more people flocked to the scene to help the victims, the second suicide bomber set off his explosives.

Iraq frequently hands down death sentences, usually for terrorism or murder convictions.

Amnesty International’s 2021 death penalty report ranks Iraq near the top worldwide in terms of death sentences and executions.

The London-based rights group recorded at least 17 executions in Iraq in 2021, down from 50 the previous year, but said death sentences “rose more than threefold from 2020”.

In April, eight people were sentenced to death in two trials, four over a car bombing and four for murder.

The last major IS attack in the capital came in July 2021, when a bomb ripped through the crowded Al-Woheilat Market in the Sadr City suburb, killing more than 30 people.

According to a January UN report, the IS group has “maintained the ability to launch attacks at a steady rate in Iraq, including hit-and-run operations, ambushes, and roadside bombs.”

Last week, three teenagers and three police officers were killed while putting out a crop fire in northern Iraq, an attack blamed on IS jihadists.

 

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Deadly nose-bleed fever shocks Iraq as cases surge

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NASIRIYAH, IRAQ: Health professionals target blood-sucking ticks at the heart of Iraq’s worst-known outbreak of a fever that causes victims to bleed to death by spraying a cow with insecticides. As the Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever spreads from animals to humans, the sight of health professionals outfitted in full protective gear has become typical in the … Read more

Deadly nose-bleed fever shocks Iraq as cases surge

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Iraq

Health professionals target blood-sucking ticks at the core of Iraq’s worst-known outbreak of a fever that causes people to bleed to death by spraying pesticides on a cow. The sight of the health workers, dressed in full protective kit, is one that has become common in the Iraqi countryside, as the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever spreads, … Read more

Iraq passes new law; severe punishment for having relations with ‘Zionist’ Israel

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Iraqi parliament

Iraq passes new law; severe punishment for having relations with ‘Zionist’ Israel Iraq’s parliament has passed a regulation that makes it wrongdoing to have relations with Israel, and infringement of the law can be culpable with capital punishment or life detainment. The law, named “Condemning Normalization and Establishment of Relations with the Zionist Entity”, was … Read more

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