Iraq

A race to shore up the ancient walls of Babylon

After two failed bids, archaeologists seek to establish Babylon as a UNESCO World Heritage Site despite damage from Saddam Hussein and US troops. Those are just its latest encounters with conquerors, they argue.
Iraq's unity tested by rising tensions over oil-rich Kurdish region

As Iraqi Kurdistan ramps up oil production that could soon surpass Libya's output, Kurdish leaders have warned they may seek independence if disputes over oil revenues, power-sharing aren't resolved.
Backchannels
Weapons flowing from Iraqi Sunnis to Syria's rebels?

So says a fairly credible CNN report.
Real triumph of Arab League summit: That it happened at all

The Arab League took little action to address Syria crisis, deferring to UN. But the summit, held in a renovated marble palace with gold-encrusted dates for dessert, still marked a triumph for host Iraq.
Iraq Arab League summit opens with eyes on Syria

Baghdad, hosting its first Arab league summit since 1990, is hoping to show the region Iraq has put its troubles behind it. But nervous eyes are focused elsewhere, on Syria.
Backchannels
Iraq's ominous trendline of violence

Terrorism is up in Iraq, as are political tensions.
Amid bombings, Iraqi family celebrates a wedding and good grades

The Methboub family, which the Monitor has followed for a decade, has reasons for hope after dark days during which a son was wrongly imprisoned and a daughter's marriage collapsed.
Terrorism & Security
Spate of bombings in Iraq undermines stability ahead of Arab summit

A series of bombings across Iraq today belie Iraq's efforts to portray itself as a stable, resurgent power as it prepares to host the annual Arab League summit for the first time since 1990.
Backchannels
Update on Iraq: Not quite freedom on the march

The crackdown on political protest in Iraq, from Baghdad to autonomous Kurdistan, shows that the country is far from a flourishing democracy.
Terrorism & Security
Wave of attacks in Iraq ends weeks of calm (+video)

A political crisis in early 2012 had Iraq on edge, but mediation efforts brought calm for several weeks. The reprieve ended today with at least 14 separate attacks throughout the country.
As Al Qaeda moves fight to Syria, violence in Iraq drops sharply

After Al Qaeda-affiliated fighters left Iraq to join the Syrian rebellion, violence has dropped in Iraq, in some areas by as much as 50 percent in just a few months.
Global News Blog
At work in Iraq with Anthony Shadid

Naseer Mehdawi, Anthony Shadid's closest Iraqi friend and journalism colleague, recalls their friendship and how together they told the story of Iraq.
Terrorism & Security
In first month after US exit, Iraq's sectarian clashes have killed 170

A series of bombings hit Baghdad today, killing 14. The violence in Iraq has claimed 170 lives already this year. 
Iraq's Maliki accused of jailing, torturing opponents

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was accused by former prime minister and rival Ayad Allawi of using the security services to torture members of opposition groups into giving false confessions.
Shiite and Sunni: What are the differences?

While the two sects share the same basic beliefs, differences in hierarchy and doctrine make Catholics and Protestants an apt comparison.
Shiite pilgrims defy bombings in Iraq to mark Arbaeen

Shiite pilgrims rely on the kindness of Shiites and even some Sunnis who set up hospitality tents along the road to the holy city of Karbala. Both pilgrims and volunteers say they won't be stopped by the risk of violence.
Terrorism & Security
Iraq bombings, political crisis raise concerns of renewed civil war

Bombings in Iraq targeted two Shiite neighborhoods of Baghdad today. The violence, coming amid a Sunni-Shiite political crisis, threatens to inflame the tensions that led to civil war in 2006-07.
As Christmas arrives, crisis for Mideast Christians

While Christians in Iraq have long faced the threat of growing Islamism and violence, now Christians in Egypt – and Syria – are facing new pressures as a year of dramatic change wraps up.
As US troops exit Iraq, Maliki moves against Sunni rivals

Iraq's Shiite prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, briefly arrested the Sunni vice president yesterday and has urged a vote of no confidence against the Sunni deputy premier.
Terrorism & Security
US formally draws curtain on the unpopular war in Iraq (video)

At the official flag-furling ceremony in Baghdad to end the war in Iraq, Secretary Panetta spoke highly of US soldiers' sacrifice. But both Iraqis and Americans appear happy for it to be over.
After war in Iraq, Biden heralds new era of US involvement

Vice President Joe Biden made a surprise trip to Baghdad yesterday to honor US sacrifices in the war in Iraq.
As US exits Iraq, a top general's warning

Gen. Lloyd Austin warned the Iraqi government about dangers from Al Qaeda in Iraq, as well as Iran-backed Shiite insurgent groups – the same players that have perennially dogged US forces.
Young Iraqis find solace in the symphony

Iraqis such as 12-year-old Fatima Odei, one of the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra's youngest trainees, have forged their musical careers amid the trials of daily life in Baghdad.
Backchannels
Yes, the Iraq drawdown is really happening

That the Obama administration has plans to drawn down to a tiny force in Iraq shouldn't be a surprise. The Iraqis haven't (yet) given America permission to stay.
Backchannels
New Lancet study says 12,000 Iraqis dead from suicide bombings

No one has taken much notice of the report. But as the 10-year anniversary of 9/11 approaches, it's an important reminder of the failure of Al Qaeda and of the scars that will shape Iraq for decades.