BASRA, Iraq — Protesters torched parliament offices in Iraq's oil-rich south on Friday following days of inaction by the government after two activists were assassinated. Demonstrators burned the outer gate of the entrance to the parliament building in Basra province, the area that produces the lion's share of Iraq's oil. The building holds the local offices of Iraq's main parliament building'in the capital Baghdad. It was the most violent incident in Basra since mass anti-government demonstrations in October, when tens…

The US has condemned the targeted assassinations of Iraqi anti-government activists and protesters, as the Iraqi prime minister visits President Donald Trump. Rights groups say hundreds of people have been killed. he United States publicly expressed outrage Thursday at the assassinations of civil society activists in Iraq. The statement came as human rights monitors sounded the alarm over the killings ahead of an official visit by Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi to US President Donald Trump. "We are outraged by the targeted…

BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) - A female activist was killed on Wednesday and three others wounded when unidentified gunmen opened fire on their car in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, security and health sources told Reuters. It was the third incident this week in which gunmen targeted an anti-government political activist, after one activist was killed and four others had their car fired upon in a separate incident. Reham Yacoub was gunned down on Wednesday by assault rifle brandishing gunmen…

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pledged on Wednesday that the Trump administration will continue to support Iraq as it confronts the threat posed by the Islamic State group, but he also called for the Baghdad government to redouble efforts to rein in pro-Iran militias. Pompeo said the United States was committed to helping Iraq regain and maintain security, despite President Donald Trump’s oft-stated desire to reduce and then eliminate the American troop presence there. Pompeo spoke after talks with senior Iraqi officials and a day before a White House meeting between…

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s prime minister said Monday ahead of a much anticipated trip to Washington that his country still needs U.S. assistance to counter the threat posed by the Islamic State group and that his administration is committed to introducing security sector reforms as rogue militia groups stage near-daily attacks against the seat of his government. Mustafa al-Kadhimi said in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press that Iraq currently does not need direct military support on the ground,…

The prosecution and assassination of civilian activists and people who seek freedom of expression continues in the Iraqi provinces, where we are witnessing a continuous popular movement. Iraqi residents of Basra province buried the body of the activist and leader, Osama Tahsin al-Khafaji during a popular demonstration. He was assassinated by armed militants. The mourners chanted slogans and called on the government and security agencies to expose al-Khafaji's killers whilst continuing their fight for reform against rampant corruption within the…

US President Donald Trump will meet Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi in Washington this month, the White House said on Friday, highlighting a turnaround in relations since the Iraq's US-friendly leader took office. Tensions between the two states increased in January after the US killed Iranian general Qassem Suleimani and Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis, prompting Iraqi politicians to demand the expulsion of the 5,200 US troops in the country. The hostility has calmed substantially since Mr Al…

BASRA, Iraq: An explosion near the Jraischan border crossing between Iraq and Kuwaiti on Monday evening targeted a convoy carrying equipment for US forces, three Iraqi security forces told Reuters. It was not immediately clear if there were any US troops in the convoy or if anyone had been injured in the explosion, which went off just before 9 p.m. Baghdad time (1800 GMT). The Iraqi military denied the incident took place. Vehicles are regularly loaded with military equipment at…

Iraq's Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi ordered disciplinary action against the chief of a security force whose members were caught taunting a teenager whose chest was covered in bruises in an online video. The video showed three members of the Interior Ministry’s Law Preservation Forces, which was set up to handle protests, standing around a boy in his underwear on a chair. They cursed his mother and threatened the teenager with sexual assault as one of them cut the boy's…

Iraq is to hold parliamentary elections in June 2021, the country's premiere announced on Friday. In an attempt to fulfil a key pledge made to anti-government protesters, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said he would attempt to ensure the fairness of the announced polls. "Everything will be done to protect and ensure the success of these polls," Kadhimi said in a televised speech. Kadhimi became prime minister in May after several failed attempts to form a government. He had been nominated…