The Iraqi government is looking to gain control of Iranian-aligned armed groups that operate inside of Iraq but outside state control, in yet another sign of Iran's weakened position since October 7.

The new leadership of the country said the rebel coalition leader, Ahmed al-Shara, would serve as president during a transitional period.

Pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, collectively part of the Hashd al Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units), face increasing calls to place their arms under state control or lay them down entirely. The fall of the Assad regime,

Built on a hill 30 kilometers from Damascus, the Saidnaya prison has instilled terror in generations of Syrians: a place of damnation where men are "neither alive nor dead," in the words of the poet Faraj Bayrakdar, arrested for "communist activities" and who survived 14 years of detention in various prisons across the country.

Iran holds tremendous sway inside Iraq despite the presence of US troops, setting up a tug-of-war for the incoming Trump administration.

A BRITISH holiday firm plans to restart trips to Syria just six weeks after the fall of tyrant Bashar al-Assad’s regime. London-based Untamed Borders stopped taking travellers there last year amid

ERBIL (Kurdistn24) – Iraq’s Ministry of Migration and Displaced announced on Saturday that Syrian displaced persons in Iraq, especially in the Kurdistan Region, are free to return to Syria following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will visit Iraq on Sunday for talks with officials on the fight against Kurdish militants, security issues and bilateral ties, a Turkish diplomatic source said on Saturday.

Gabbard was questioned by Republicans and Democrats alike on her views of Snowden and whether she believes he was a traitor. She declined to say she believed he was a traitor, repeating that she felt he had broken the law and reiterating a point that she has made in the past, that he exposed practices that have resulted in the reform of 702.

Trump's pick to head U.S. intelligence has broken with its assessments several times since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Amid historical changes in the balance of power in the Middle East, at least one thing remains constant: the strategic importance of the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan.

Former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard could face tough questions in US Senate confirmation hearings over past controversies.