ISIS
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Baffel Talabani expresses worry over new attack on Erbil airport
The co-chair of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Baffel Talabani denounced the Friday rocket attack on Erbil airport and stressed that the repeated attack on the capital of the Kurdistan Region is a cause for concern.
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Iraqi Kurds thwart terrorism plot on Erbil
Kurdistan Regional Government PM Masrour Barzani says months-long operation foiled an ISIS terrorist plot, originating in Al Hol internment camp in neighboring Syria, to attack the city of Erbil.
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US pledges to withdraw its troops from Iraq
The United States committed Wednesday, April 8, to move all remaining combat forces from Iraq, although the two sides did not set a timeline in what would be the second withdrawal since the 2003 invasion.
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Air Force JTACS training Syrians to help call in helo airstrikes raises questions / Kyle Rempfer
Air Force JTACs trained Syrian fighters during a live-fire exercise with attack helicopters last month, catching the attention of online forums and highlighting a little-known part of the fight against the Islamic State that may foreshadow the future of air support in proxy wars.
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Nechirvan Barzani to travel to Baghdad soon
A senior adviser to the president of the Kurdistan Region said he would travel to Baghdad soon to hold talks with Iraqi central government officials.
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Syrian Kurds would receive less concessions in case of a deal with Damascus, professor says
Syrian Kurds are willing to reach an agreement with the Syrian government, but now they will receive fewer concessions than in the past in a compromise with Damascus.
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Turkey expelled Kurdish population from northern Syria: former US official
Former special adviser of the international coalition for Syria William Rubak said Turkey's attack on northern Syria had led to the expulsion of a large numbers of Kurds.
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Qatari high-ranking officials meet Nechirvan Barzani in Erbil
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani met with Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani on Wednesday, March 24, during the latter’s visit to Erbil.
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Baghdad does not want to fill security gaps in disputed areas: advisor
Announcing the sharp increase in the number of ISIS terrorists in Iraq and Syria, the military adviser to the Kurdistan Region President, Nachirvan Barzani, stressed that "terrorists were exploiting security gaps between Peshmerga and Iraqi forces in the disputed areas as the central government does not want to fill the gap in the areas.
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Biden administration should support an agreement between Syrian Kurds*
In April 2020, the US Department of State decided to support the opening of a dialogue between the Kurdish National Council (KNC), an umbrella organization of Syrian-Kurdish political parties close to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) of Massoud Barzani, and the Democratic Unity Party (PYD), the Syrian branch of the PKK (Kurdistan Worker’s Party). At the end of May, the PYD founded the "Kurdish National Unity Parties", a coalition of 25 political groups, and in June, the talks between the Kurdish Unity Parties and the KNC began in earnest. The aim of these negotiations was, and still is, to reach a compromise regarding the political future of the Syrian Kurds’ autonomous administration thus far solely controlled by the PYD.
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Syrian Kurdish women units played important role in fight against ISIS: Former Centcom Commander
Former Commander of United States Central Command, Joseph Votel, described the Syrian Kurdish women's forces in the fight against ISIS as brave, prepared and motivated.
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Fate of Syrian Kurds is tied to Biden
The fate of Syrian lands held by Kurdish forces lie in the hands of the new U.S. administration, which will decide whether or not to keep troops in the war-torn country, Agence France-Presse (AFP) said on Monday, citing experts.
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Pope Francis arrives in Erbil in historic tour
Greeted by children wearing traditional Kurdish clothes, Pope Francis arrived in Erbil on Sunday, March 7, for the third day of his historic trip to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
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Turkey blames bad weather for Thursday deadly military chopper crash
Turkey's defense minister blamed on Friday, March 5, bad weather for a military helicopter crash that killed 10 soldiers and a senior commander in the country's restive southeast.
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US says children in northeast Syria camps should be allowed to go home
The UN children's agency called Sunday, February 28, for all minors held in displacement camps or jails in northeast Syria to be allowed home, AFP reported.
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Iranian FM says attacks in Iraq are suspicious
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif stated in a meeting with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein in Tehran on Saturday that some recent attacks and developments in Iraq are suspicious and could be carried out to disrupt Tehran-Baghdad relations and Iraq's security and stability.
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Kurdistan Region Minister of Peshmerga calls for increased US financial aid
The Peshmerga Minister of the Kurdistan Region called for an increase in US aid to the forces and expansion of the country's financial assistance to the Peshmerga forces.
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Iraqi FM visits Tehran on Saturday
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein traveled to Tehran for meetings on Saturday, February 27, with senior Iranian security and diplomatic officials.
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Kurdistan Region Ministry of Peshmerga welcomes NATO plan to increase its forces in Iraq
The Peshmerga Ministry of the Kurdistan Region welcomed NATO's decision to increase its forces and expand its mission in Iraq.
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7 ISIS militants killed in clashes with Iraqi forces
Iraqi security forces clashed with the Islamic State (ISIS) group north of Baghdad on Saturday, February 20, leaving at least five jihadists and two security personnel dead.
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Experts shed light on reasons behind establishment of new American base in Syrian Kurdistan
Two military experts say the US-led coalition's move to establish a new military base in the Syrian Kurdish-controlled area near the Iraqi Kurdistan region could signal a longer US-led coalition presence against the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS).
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U.S. will cooperate with SDF against ISIS in Syria: Pentagon official
The United States has been cooperating with the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Syria against Islamic State (ISIS) and will continue to do so under President Joe Biden, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters at a news briefing.
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SDF hands 100 alleged ISIS fighters to Baghdad: source
A US-backed Kurdish force in northeast Syria handed over 100 alleged Islamic State (ISIS) group fighters to Baghdad this week, a senior Iraqi security source told AFP on Sunday, February 14.
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US won't back establishment of a Kurdish state in Syrian Kurdistan: former envoy
Former US Special Representative for Syria, William Rubok, stated that his country does not support the establishment of an independent Kurdish state in Syrian Kurdistan.
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Five Hashd al-Shaabi fighters killed in ISIS attack
Five Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) members were killed on Tuesday, February 2, during confrontations with Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Naft Khana area on the outskirts of Khanaqin district northeast of Diyala governorate.
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Reasons behind success of Syrian Kurds – research discusses
According to the University of Oslo's research project, pragmatism, women's participation, and a concern for the safety of citizens away from unbridled violence were among the reasons for the Syrian Kurds' success in governing large parts of Syrian Kurdish and Arab regions.
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Turkey still logistical hub for ISIS financing, says U.S. Treasury
The Islamic State (ISIS) continues to rely on “logistical hubs” inside Turkey for its finances, the U.S. Treasury said in a report this month.
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Masoud Barzani says Peshmerga forces liberated Kurdistan Region
The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Leader Masoud Barzani said that ISIS terrorist organization is an enemy of all humanity and no one party can defeat it by himself, stressing that no person or party can deny that the people of Kurdistan destroyed the legend of this terrorist organization.
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Ten ISIS militants killed in coalition airstrike in Kirkuk
Ten militants of the Islamic State (ISIS) were killed in an airstrike by US-led Coalition warplanes in Kirkuk governorate, Iraq’s Security Media Cell said on Wednesday, January 27.
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Kurds should not forget Iran's support in fighting against ISIS: representative
Representative of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Tehran Nazim Dabagh said on Monday, January 25, that the Kurds should not forget the aid provided by Iran during the war against Islamic State (ISIS), arguing that ISIS would have occupied Baghdad if it were not for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani.