Iraq

BAGHDAD, May 7 (NNN-NINA) – The Iraqi Ministry of Health said yesterday that, about 40 cases of viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) were registered in the country, eight of whom have died.

Twenty-three infections and five deaths were registered in Iraq’s southern province of Dhi Qar, the ministry’s spokesman, Sayf al-Badr said in a statement.

Al-Badr said, the latest death was confirmed earlier yesterday, in the northern province of Kirkuk.

The first VHF case was detected in Dhi Qar last month, and later appeared in several provinces, he added.

05 May 2022; MEMO: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) revealed yesterday that 8.5 million Iraqis live among deadly mines and unexploded remnants of war.

"Iraq is one of the most contaminated countries on the planet's surface with explosive munitions," ICRC spokeswoman in Iraq, Heba Adnan, told the Iraqi official news agency, adding that explosive remnants of war are spread across more than 3,200 square kilometres of land, "twice the size of the city of London".

BAGHDAD, May 2 (NNN-NINA) – Six rockets targeted yesterday, an area in Erbil province in Iraq’s northern semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region, but caused no casualties, the regional Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) said in a statement.

The rockets were fired from al-Hamdaniya, a town 60 km west of the city of Erbil, and landed near the al-Zab River, outside the Kurdish town of Khabat in Erbil province, the Kurdish CTS statement said.

No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack.

BAGHDAD, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Two Katyusha rockets hit an air base housing U.S. military experts and agencies in Iraq's western province of Anbar on Saturday, the Iraqi military said.

The two rockets landed in the evening in the Ayn al-Asad AirBase near the town of al-Baghdadi, some 190 km northwest of the capital Baghdad, causing no casualties, the media office of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command said in a statement.

BAGHDAD, Apr 27 (NNN-NINA) – Talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran, held in Iraq, may pave the way for the normalisation of diplomatic ties between the two countries, Iraqi Foreign Ministry’s spokesman, said yesterday.

The 5th round of talks between Tehran and Riyadh was held in Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, last Thursday, in “a peaceful atmosphere and showed positive understanding,” Ahmed al-Sahaf was quoted as saying.

The talks, which were also attended by Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, covered a variety of topics, including security issues.

BAGHDAD, Apr 26 (NNN-NINA) – Three mortar rounds landed yesterday, on a military base near the Iraqi capital Baghdad, causing property damage, a military source said.

Three mortar rounds hit Camp Taji, some 20 km north of Baghdad, which houses Iraqi army forces and military training centres, an army officer said.

Iraqi security forces intensified their security measures and launched a search campaign in the surrounding area, looking for the attackers, the source said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.

BAGHDAD, Apr 25 (NNN-ANADOLU) – Four Katyusha rockets landed near a Turkish military base, in Iraq’s northern province of Nineveh yesterday without causing casualties, a local official said.

The rockets, fired by unknown militants in the evening, targeted the Bashiqa base, housing Turkish forces in the Zlikan area, some 400 km north of Baghdad, Mohammed Amin Gharib, mayor of the Zlikan area, said.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

24 April 2022; MEMO: Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said he plans to float a proposal to parliament to criminalize the normalization of relations with Israel, Anadolu Agency reported.

"One of the main reasons that prompted me to have the Sadrist movement run in elections again was the issue of normalization and Israeli ambitions to dominate our beloved Iraq," al-Sadr said in a Twitter post.

April 23 (Reuters) - Rival regional powers Iran and Saudi Arabia resumed talks in the Iraqi capital after they were suspended in March, Iran's semi-official Nour News reported on Saturday.

There was no confirmation from Saudi Arabia or Iraq on the resumption of the talks.

"The latest positive meeting has raised hopes for the two countries to take steps toward the resumption of ties,” said Nour News, which is affiliated with the country's Supreme National Security Council. It did not say when the fifth round of talks were held.

23 April 2022; MEMO: Iraq plans to sign a deal next month to import liquefied natural gas from Qatar.

According to Bloomberg's report, Iraq will buy Qatari LNG to secure enough of the fuel used for power generation and to diversify its sources of supply.

Qatari LNG will help replace some of the gas currently piped from Iran, Iraqi Electricity Minister, Adel Kareem, said in an interview.

Iran has had trouble meeting Iraq's gas needs due to its own domestic demand, Kareem added.