Iraqi security forces have raided a base belonging to a powerful Iran-backed armed group in southern Baghdad and detained at least 14 militia members, sources have told Al Jazeera. The raid late on Thursday was the most brazen action by Iraqi forces against a major Iran-backed group in years and targeted the Kataib Hezbollah faction, which United States officials have accused of firing rockets at bases hosting US troops and […]
Turkish warplanes struck Kurdish targets in various regions of northern Iraq on Sunday night in response to an increase in attacks on Turkish army bases, the defence ministry said. "The Claw-Eagle Operation has started. Our planes are bringing the caves down on the terrorists' heads," the Turkish defence ministry said on Twitter. Turkey regularly targets Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighters, both in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast and in northern Iraq, […]
Coronavirus outbreaks across the Middle East threaten to shatter the lives of millions of already destitute people in conflict zones, and could fuel socio-economic upheaval, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Thursday, Reuters reports. Curfews and lockdowns imposed as public health measures to stem spread of the virus are already making it difficult or impossible for many to provide for their families, it said. The Geneva-based […]
The United Nations envoys in the Middle East have urged all warring parties in the region to end hostilities and turn their focus to "the true fight of our lives" - tackling the threat posed by the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement on Saturday, the envoys for Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict stressed that solidarity is required to face the challenge of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the […]
A previously unknown armed group in Iraq has claimed responsibility for an attack on a military base over the weekend and threatened to continue rocket attacks against US interests if American forces do not leave the country. The group, calling itself the Revolutionary League and using imagery similar to the Lebanese Hezbollah and other armed groups in Iraq, released its second video statement on Wednesday describing the attacks on Camp Taji […]
Rocket attack slams into Iraqi base in remote province of Kirkuk where US troops are stationed, report says.A rocket attack has slammed into an Iraqi base in the remote province of Kirkuk where US troops are stationed, security sources said. There were no immediate reports of casualties, AFP news agency citing Iraqi and US security sources reported on Thursday.Three separate Iraqi security sources told AFP that the Katyusha rocket hit […]
After two months of political deadlock following the resignation of caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, Allawi was nominated as the new prime minister on Saturday, with the task of running the country until an early election is held, for which there is no date set. The selection of Allawi followed an ultimatum by Iraq President Barham Salih, who had said he would pick a new prime minister himself if […]
The US embassy in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone came under attack from rocket fire on Sunday evening. Five rockets crashed into a riverbank near the embassy in the Iraqi capital without causing any injuries, the US Joint Operations Command said in a statement, but AFP news agency citing a security source said three of the rockets "directly hit the US embassy". One slammed into a cafeteria at dinner time, […]
Iraqi protesters vowed to continue their escalation until demands for an independent prime minister and snap elections are met, as deadly violence surged in Baghdad and several key southern cities. Two protesters were killed in the capital's Tayaran Square in the early hours of Monday after security forces fired live ammunition and tear gas to disperse angry crowds, officials said. Another protester was killed in Baghdad later in the day. […]
VOC became the first Muslim radio station in South Africa when a special events license was granted to the station in Ramadan/January 1995. Subsequent temporary broadcast licenses were granted, permitting the station to broadcast for 24 hours.
