Iraq is gearing up for a visit by Pope Francis, but with protests & rockets hitting Iraqi cities concerns are growing about the Pope's safety.

Gravitas: Security concerns over Pope Francis' Iraq visit

Pope Francis is all set to pay a four-day historic visit to Iraq from March 5 until March 8. The trip is going ahead despite the security risks and the coronavirus pandemic.

Iraq prepares for Pope Francis' visit

Pope Francis to visit Iraq from March 5th-8th

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein met with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif during a visit to Tehran on Saturday (February 27).

The visit comes two days after the United States carried out air strikes authorized by President Joe Biden against facilities belonging to Iranian-backed militia in eastern Syria , in response to rocket attacks against U.S. targets in Iraq.

Biden said Iran cannot act with impunity and warned Iran to "be careful" when asked what message he was sending the country with the strikes in Syria on Thursday (February 25).

Watch |&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/iran-cant-act-with-impunity-says-us-president-joe-biden-366556/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

On Saturday, Iran's top security official, Ali Shamkhani, said the strikes "encourage terrorism in the region." Shamkhani made the remarks during his meeting with Hussein.

Hussein, on his second visit to Iran in a month, later met with Zarif.

Hussein is in Iran "to discuss regional developments, including ways to balance relations and avoid tension and escalation" with Iranian officials, according to an Iraqi foreign ministry statement.

An Iraqi militia official close to Iran said the strikes killed one fighter and wounded four. U.S. officials said they were limited in scope to show Biden's administration will act firmly while trying to avoid a big regional escalation.

Shamkhani said "we will confront the U.S. plan to revive terrorism in the region", but did not elaborate.

The air strikes targeted militia sites on the Syrian side of the Iraqi-Syrian frontier, where groups backed by Iran control an important crossing for weapons, personnel and goods.

Western officials and some Iraqi officials accuse Iranian-backed groups of involvement in deadly rocket attacks on U.S. sites and personnel in Iraq over the last month.

Washington and Tehran are seeking maximum leverage in attempts to save Iran's nuclear deal reached with world powers in 2015 but abandoned in 2018 by then-President Donald Trump, after which regional tensions soared.

 
&nbsp;

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein met with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif during a visit to Tehran on Saturday (February 27). The visit comes two days after the United States carried out air strikes authorized by President Joe Biden against facilities belonging to Iranian-backed militia in eastern Syria , in response to rocket attacks against U.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein met with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif during a visit to Tehran on Saturday (February 27). The visit comes two days after the United States carried out air strikes authorized by President Joe Biden against facilities belonging to Iranian-backed militia in eastern Syria , in response to rocket attacks against U.S. targets in Iraq. Biden said Iran cannot act with impunity and warned Iran to "be careful" when asked what message he was sending the country with the strikes in Syria on Thursday (February 25). Watch | On Saturday, Iran's top security official, Ali Shamkhani, said the strikes "encourage terrorism in the region." Shamkhani made the remarks during his meeting with Hussein. Hussein, on his second visit to Iran in a month, later met with Zarif. Hussein is in Iran "to discuss regional developments, including ways to balance relations and avoid tension and escalation" with Iranian officials, according to an Iraqi foreign ministry statement. An Iraqi militia official close to Iran said the strikes killed one fighter and wounded four. U.S. officials said they were limited in scope to show Biden's administration will act firmly while trying to avoid a big regional escalation. Shamkhani said "we will confront the U.S. plan to revive terrorism in the region", but did not elaborate. The air strikes targeted militia sites on the Syrian side of the Iraqi-Syrian frontier, where groups backed by Iran control an important crossing for weapons, personnel and goods. Western officials and some Iraqi officials accuse Iranian-backed groups of involvement in deadly rocket attacks on U.S. sites and personnel in Iraq over the last month. Washington and Tehran are seeking maximum leverage in attempts to save Iran's nuclear deal reached with world powers in 2015 but abandoned in 2018 by then-President Donald Trump, after which regional tensions soared.

Iran, Iraq foreign ministers meet against backdrop of US air strikes in Syria

Final preparations are ongoing as Iraq is gearing up to welcome Pope Francis for his visit next weekend.&nbsp;

The pontiff will be meeting Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani in March in the Najaf, whose streets are being decorated with flags of Vatican and Iraq.&nbsp;

In Mosul, four churches that were desecrated by the so-called Islamic State will also be visited by the 84-year-old pope during his four-day visit.&nbsp;

Watch |&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/pope-francis-to-visit-iraq-from-march-5th-8th-366733/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

In the "Church Square", where the four churches are located, the pontiff will also hold prayers for the victims of war.&nbsp;

A large number of worshippers can turn up for a mass in Nineveh province and authorities are mulling on a possible open-air venue to accommodate them.&nbsp;

The sites are being cleaned for the arrival of the pope.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iraq-prepares-for-the-popes-visit-amid-scars-of-war-365517">Iraq prepares for the Pope's visit amid scars of war</a>

Francis will also hold an inter-religious prayer service at the ancient site of Ur, a place known as the birthplace of Abraham.&nbsp;

Abraham, who is known as the father of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, used to live in this city until God called upon him to build a new nation in a land later found was Cannand, according to the biblical book of Genesis.&nbsp;

He will also be visiting the capital Baghdad, Erbil, and Qaraqosh in the plains of Nineveh for the visit from March 5 to March 8.&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

Final preparations are ongoing as Iraq is gearing up to welcome Pope Francis for his visit next weekend. The pontiff will be meeting Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani in March in the Najaf, whose streets are being decorated with flags of Vatican and Iraq.

Final preparations are ongoing as Iraq is gearing up to welcome Pope Francis for his visit next weekend. The pontiff will be meeting Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani in March in the Najaf, whose streets are being decorated with flags of Vatican and Iraq. In Mosul, four churches that were desecrated by the so-called Islamic State will also be visited by the 84-year-old pope during his four-day visit. Watch | In the "Church Square", where the four churches are located, the pontiff will also hold prayers for the victims of war. A large number of worshippers can turn up for a mass in Nineveh province and authorities are mulling on a possible open-air venue to accommodate them. The sites are being cleaned for the arrival of the pope. Also read | Iraq prepares for the Pope's visit amid scars of war Francis will also hold an inter-religious prayer service at the ancient site of Ur, a place known as the birthplace of Abraham. Abraham, who is known as the father of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, used to live in this city until God called upon him to build a new nation in a land later found was Cannand, according to the biblical book of Genesis. He will also be visiting the capital Baghdad, Erbil, and Qaraqosh in the plains of Nineveh for the visit from March 5 to March 8.

Pope Francis to visit desecrated churches as Iraq gears up to welcome him

Pope Francis is set to embark on a historic trip to #Iraq, making him the first Supreme Pontiff to visit the West Asian nation. On the West Asia Post, Ghadi Francis takes a look at how Iraq is preparing for this visit. For more such stories, keep watching the West Asia post with Ghadi Francis every Friday at 8:30 PM IST, only on WION.

The West Asia Post | Iraq prepares for Pope's visit

President Biden directed the US military to carry out airstrikes on facilities in eastern Syria in retaliation against rocket attacks on US troop locations in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/we-will-hold-iran-responsible-says-us-after-rockets-target-us-embassy-in-iraqs-green-zone-365542">Iraq</a>.

Watch:

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/rockets-strike-iraqs-green-zone-volley-of-rockets-target-us-embassy-in-iraq-365671/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"At President Biden's direction, US military forces earlier this evening conducted airstrikes against infrastructure utilized by Iranian-backed militant groups in eastern Syria," Pentagon said.

It is the first military attack carried out by the Biden administration.&nbsp;According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 17 pro-Iran fighters were killed in the airstrikes in Syria.

According to the Pentagon, the airstrikes were pointed towards &nbsp;Iran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah and Kataeb Sayyid al-Shuhada at the border control point.

"These strikes were authorized in response to recent attacks against American and Coalition personnel in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/rockets-target-us-embassy-in-iraqi-capital-military-365520">Iraq</a>, and to ongoing threats to those personnel," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.

The airstrikes come after rocket attacks on US and coalition facilities in Iraq on a military complex in the Kurdish region's capital Arbil on February 15 in which a civilian and a foreign contractor working with coalition forces were killed.

Pentagon said the strikes were "proportionate" and "conducted together with diplomatic measures".

"The operation sends an unambiguous message: President Biden will act to protect American and Coalition personnel," the Pentagon added.

President Biden directed the US military to carry out airstrikes on facilities in eastern Syria in retaliation against rocket attacks on US troop locations in Iraq.

President Biden directed the US military to carry out airstrikes on facilities in eastern Syria in retaliation against rocket attacks on US troop locations in Iraq. Watch: "At President Biden's direction, US military forces earlier this evening conducted airstrikes against infrastructure utilized by Iranian-backed militant groups in eastern Syria," Pentagon said. It is the first military attack carried out by the Biden administration. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 17 pro-Iran fighters were killed in the airstrikes in Syria. According to the Pentagon, the airstrikes were pointed towards Iran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah and Kataeb Sayyid al-Shuhada at the border control point. "These strikes were authorized in response to recent attacks against American and Coalition personnel in Iraq, and to ongoing threats to those personnel," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said. The airstrikes come after rocket attacks on US and coalition facilities in Iraq on a military complex in the Kurdish region's capital Arbil on February 15 in which a civilian and a foreign contractor working with coalition forces were killed. Pentagon said the strikes were "proportionate" and "conducted together with diplomatic measures". "The operation sends an unambiguous message: President Biden will act to protect American and Coalition personnel," the Pentagon added.

US carries out airstrikes against Iran-backed militia in eastern Syria

Syria has criticised the US air raid against positions of Iran-backed fighters in east Syria, which killed one and wounded four others, describing it as a “bad sign” from the administration of new US President Joe Biden.

Syria "strongly condemns the cowardly American aggression" on Deir Ezzor province, its foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the official SANA news agency.

"It is a bad sign regarding the policies of the new US administration which should adhere to international" norms.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-carries-out-airstrikes-against-iran-backed-militia-in-eastern-syria-366309">Also read: US carries out airstrikes against Iran-backed militia in eastern Syria</a> 
 
President Biden directed the US military to carry out airstrikes on facilities in eastern Syria in retaliation against rocket attacks on US troop locations in Iraq.

"At President Biden's direction, US military forces earlier this evening conducted airstrikes against infrastructure utilized by Iranian-backed militant groups in eastern Syria," Pentagon said.

It is the first military attack carried out by the Biden administration. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 17 pro-Iran fighters were killed in the airstrikes in Syria.

According to the Pentagon, the airstrikes were pointed towards Iran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah and Kataeb Sayyid al-Shuhada at the border control point.

Meanwhile, The Kremlin said that it was closely monitoring the situation in Syria following U.S. air strikes there and that it was in constant contact with the Syrian authorities.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call that he could not say whether the United States had notified Russia of its plans in advance, adding that operational contacts were made through the military.

(With inputs from agencies)

Syria has criticised the US air raid against positions of Iran-backed fighters in east Syria, which killed one and wounded four others, describing it as a “bad sign” from the administration of new US President Joe Biden.

Syria has criticised the US air raid against positions of Iran-backed fighters in east Syria, which killed one and wounded four others, describing it as a “bad sign” from the administration of new US President Joe Biden. Syria "strongly condemns the cowardly American aggression" on Deir Ezzor province, its foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the official SANA news agency. "It is a bad sign regarding the policies of the new US administration which should adhere to international" norms. Also read: US carries out airstrikes against Iran-backed militia in eastern Syria President Biden directed the US military to carry out airstrikes on facilities in eastern Syria in retaliation against rocket attacks on US troop locations in Iraq. "At President Biden's direction, US military forces earlier this evening conducted airstrikes against infrastructure utilized by Iranian-backed militant groups in eastern Syria," Pentagon said. It is the first military attack carried out by the Biden administration. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 17 pro-Iran fighters were killed in the airstrikes in Syria. According to the Pentagon, the airstrikes were pointed towards Iran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah and Kataeb Sayyid al-Shuhada at the border control point. Meanwhile, The Kremlin said that it was closely monitoring the situation in Syria following U.S. air strikes there and that it was in constant contact with the Syrian authorities. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call that he could not say whether the United States had notified Russia of its plans in advance, adding that operational contacts were made through the military. (With inputs from agencies)

Syria denounces US strike as 'bad sign' from Biden administration

Next month, Pope Francis will undertake a historic visit to Iraq. The focus of the visit will be a groundbreaking meeting with Iraq's top Shi'ite Muslim cleric. What do the Christians in Iraq think about the Pope's visit? WION's Palki Sharma brings you a report.

Gravitas: What do Iraq's Christians think about the visit of Pope Francis?

The heavily fortified green zone in Iraq has been attacked with a volley of rockets as security officials stated that the United States or US Embassy was the main target.

Rockets strike Iraq's green zone; Volley of rockets target US Embassy in Iraq

Oil producers are getting benefitted but it's not enough as they are reporting staggering losses. The pandemic has triggered a crisis, a battle for survival in the oil sector.&nbsp;

A barrel of oil costs around 60 dollars. In April last year, it was 20 dollars. It is a three-fold jump. But it's not enough for oil exporters. They are still losing money.&nbsp;

Saudi Arabia needs to balance its budget next year and it would like oil to sell at 68 dollars a barrel. &nbsp;&nbsp;

For Iraq, the ideal price should be 80 dollars per barrel. Will oil touch these levels? The answer depends on which projections you believe.&nbsp;

Golman Sachs says oil prices will see a 20 per cent jump this year. The World Bank, on the other hand, is not so optimistic.&nbsp;

It says oil prices are will remain below 50 dollars per barrel through 2022. It will put a big hole in the budgets of oil exporting countries. &nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-despite-a-price-jump-major-oil-exporters-are-losing-cash-365533">WATCH|</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-despite-a-price-jump-major-oil-exporters-are-losing-cash-365533/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The regional alliance of Arab states is already predicting a budget deficit. Last year, the deficit was a little more than nine per cent.&nbsp;

In 2021, it will be close to six per cent. The losses could grow in the future. Between 2020 and 2023, the deficit of GCC countries is set to touch $ 490 billion dollars.&nbsp;

The lack of alternatives to cover up losses, forced this bloc to borrow more in 2020. An estimate from last year suggests GCC government debt is set to surge by $ 100 billion dollars. &nbsp;

Major oil countries are still reeling from the pandemic shock. And they are losing money on every barrel they sell. The world's biggest oil producing companies too are losing billions. &nbsp;

This month, they have reported record annual losses.&nbsp;

US's biggest oil producer, Exxon Mobil, has suffered a loss of more than 20 billion dollars. The first annual loss in the company's history. Conoco Phillips lost 2.7 billion dollars. In the United Kingdom, energy group BP reported 5.7 billion in losses.&nbsp;

It is a sign. The world wants to wean itself away from oil. It will mean trillions of dollars of losses in the next 20 years for oil producers. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Around 40 countries, which rely on oil for most of their income, could see their revenues fall by 46 per cent on average. &nbsp;&nbsp;

A total of $9 trillion over the next 20 years due to international initiatives to meet the Paris Agreement’s emission targets. It means a total loss of nine trillion dollars.&nbsp;

Oil producers are getting benefitted but it's not enough as they are reporting staggering losses. The pandemic has triggered a crisis, a battle for survival in the oil sector.

Oil producers are getting benefitted but it's not enough as they are reporting staggering losses. The pandemic has triggered a crisis, a battle for survival in the oil sector. A barrel of oil costs around 60 dollars. In April last year, it was 20 dollars. It is a three-fold jump. But it's not enough for oil exporters. They are still losing money. Saudi Arabia needs to balance its budget next year and it would like oil to sell at 68 dollars a barrel. For Iraq, the ideal price should be 80 dollars per barrel. Will oil touch these levels? The answer depends on which projections you believe. Golman Sachs says oil prices will see a 20 per cent jump this year. The World Bank, on the other hand, is not so optimistic. It says oil prices are will remain below 50 dollars per barrel through 2022. It will put a big hole in the budgets of oil exporting countries. WATCH| The regional alliance of Arab states is already predicting a budget deficit. Last year, the deficit was a little more than nine per cent. In 2021, it will be close to six per cent. The losses could grow in the future. Between 2020 and 2023, the deficit of GCC countries is set to touch $ 490 billion dollars. The lack of alternatives to cover up losses, forced this bloc to borrow more in 2020. An estimate from last year suggests GCC government debt is set to surge by $ 100 billion dollars. Major oil countries are still reeling from the pandemic shock. And they are losing money on every barrel they sell. The world's biggest oil producing companies too are losing billions. This month, they have reported record annual losses. US's biggest oil producer, Exxon Mobil, has suffered a loss of more than 20 billion dollars. The first annual loss in the company's history. Conoco Phillips lost 2.7 billion dollars. In the United Kingdom, energy group BP reported 5.7 billion in losses. It is a sign. The world wants to wean itself away from oil. It will mean trillions of dollars of losses in the next 20 years for oil producers. Around 40 countries, which rely on oil for most of their income, could see their revenues fall by 46 per cent on average. A total of $9 trillion over the next 20 years due to international initiatives to meet the Paris Agreement’s emission targets. It means a total loss of nine trillion dollars.

Oil exporters report losses despite price hike

Some fled after the US-led invasion, others during sectarian bloodshed and more following jihadist attacks. Iraq's last two violent decades have hollowed out its Christian community which dates back two millennia.

After first settling in the fertile plains of Nineveh province before heading for the busy boulevards of Baghdad, more than one million Christians have in more modern times been uprooted by Iraq's consecutive conflicts.

"By the age of 24, I had already lived through and survived three wars," said Sally Fawzi, an Iraqi Chaldean Catholic, who left her country more than a decade ago and is now living in the US state of Texas.

Some members of Iraq's historic Christian community escaped to the nearby autonomous Kurdish region, others waited in neighbouring Jordan to emigrate and then resettled in countries as far away as Australia.

Many lost hope in their homeland long ago, but see next month's scheduled visit by Pope Francis -- the first-ever papal trip to Iraq -- as an important opportunity for him to use his voice to garner international support for Iraqis of their faith.

Iraq's Christian community is one of the oldest and most diverse in the world, featuring Chaldean, Armenian Orthodox, Protestant as well as other branches of Christianity.

By 2003, when then-dictator Saddam Hussein was toppled, there were 1.5 million Christians in a country of 25 million people, or around six percent of the population.

But as Iraq's population mushroomed, the percentage of the minorities shrank.

Today, only 400,000 Christians remain in a predominantly Muslim country of 40 million people, said William Warda, co-founder of the Hammurabi Human Rights Organisation.

Among those who left, nearly half a million resettled in the United States. Others ended up dispersed in Canada, Australia, Norway and other parts of Europe.

The first wave

Rana Said, 40, had tried her hardest to stay.

Her aunt and uncle were killed in 2007, when US soldiers blindly opened fire on the streets of Mosul after an attack in the regional capital of the northern province of Nineveh.

Still, she remained in the city with her husband Ammar al-Kass, 41, a veterinarian.

The following year, with Iraq gripped by sectarian bloodletting, a string of assassinations, including of Christians, pushed the Kass family to move to the relative safety of Iraqi Kurdistan.

But by 2013, the region was growing increasingly unstable.

The couple finally left their ancestral Iraq and were resettled on the Gold Coast of Australia where they found jobs in their respective professions and have raised three daughters: Sara, 10, Liza, six, and three-year-old Rose.

The young girls have never visited Iraq, although they speak Arabic and a modern dialect of Assyrian -- the ancient language of Christ -- at home.

A year after they resettled, jihadists from the so-called Islamic State group swept through their city. The family watched in horror from halfway around the world.

"The fall of Mosul wasn't easy for us," Ammar recounted, particularly IS's destruction of the city's Church of the Virgin Mary, a 1,200-year-old piece of treasured heritage.

"That's where my father was married. It was razed and obliterated to the ground," he said.&nbsp;

He tried to keep his wife -- pregnant with Liza at the time -- away from computers and phones, afraid the added stress would harm the baby.

"I used to have nightmares about IS entering and killing and raping my family. It was a repetitive, horrible dream," Rana said emotionally, of the jihadists who forced women of the Yazidi religious minority and those of other minorities into sexual slavery.&nbsp;

Lingering in limbo

Saad Hormuz lived the IS nightmare in person.

On August 6, 2014, IS fighters swept into Bartalla, the diverse town on the edges of Mosul where Hormuz had worked as a taxi driver.

"First, we fled towards Al-Qosh," another Christian town further north, he told AFP.

But as the jihadists kept up their pillaging of Nineveh, they escaped to Arbil, the capital of the Kurdish region.

With his wife Afnan, 48, and their four children -- Natalie, 7, Nores, 15, Franz, 16, and Fadi, 19 -- they lived in a church for a month before renting an apartment at $150 per month for nearly three years.&nbsp;

That severely strained their finances.

Three years later, Iraq's military declared it had freed Bartalla from IS's grip. The Hormuz family was elated and rushed back to resume life in their hometown.

But they found their home had been torched and ransacked, and that members of the Hashed al-Shaabi, a powerful state-sponsored paramilitary network formed from mostly-Shiite armed groups and volunteers to fight IS, now controlled Bartalla.

"We lived in fear. There were checkpoints and militias everywhere. Once, they even asked my wife to wear a veil," said Hormuz.

"So I decided to sell everything, even my car, and move to Jordan," he told AFP.

They have lived in a two-bedroom apartment in Amman since February 2018, hoping to be resettled permanently in Canada, where he and his wife have family connections.

With Covid-19 slowing down all international travel, the immigration process has been indefinitely frozen as their savings dwindle further.

Registered as a refugee in Jordan, Hormuz does not have the right to work legally and relies on soup kitchens at Amman's few churches to keep his family fed.

"I hope that through his visit to Iraq, the pope will ask countries receiving Christian refugees to help us," he said.

"Going back to Iraq is out of the question."

Exile and rebirth

Many in Chaldean Bishop Saad Sirop Hanna's parishes in Sweden feel the same way.

Born in Baghdad, Hanna, 40, was sent in 2017 to lead Europe's largest Chaldean congregation of around 25,000 people, who had arrived in Sweden in waves over the past four decades.

He lived through much of the violence they had fled, describing it as "great chaos."

In 2006, he was kidnapped after presiding over mass in the Iraqi capital.

"I was held and went through lots of experiences -- including torture and isolation," Hanna told AFP.

"This experience also gave me strength, truth be told. I was born again. I look at life again with a great blessing and a great love," he said.

There are more than 140,000 Iraqi-born residents in Sweden, including Raghid Benna, a native of Mosul who resettled in the eastern town of Sodertalje in 2007.

"There are so many Chaldeans here that I don't even feel like I'm in exile," said Benna, a father of two.

For Sally Fawzi, 38, who was resettled in the US as a refugee in 2008, memories of home can be painful.

"My family was devastated in 2007 when we learned that my two great aunts in Kirkuk had been stabbed to death at night in their home just because they were Christians," she told AFP.

"Today, I have a house, a beautiful family of my own, a job, and my immediate family live in the same city, but I miss my Baghdad house and friends the most," Fawzi said.

"It will never be the same."

From bloodshed to bankruptcy

As young families escape Iraq, they often leave their older relatives behind, said Warda of the Hammurabi Human Rights Organisation.

"A Christian family was typically five members. Now it's down to three," he said.

In Baghdad, the once-thriving community of 750,000 Christians has shrunk by 90 percent.

Among them is Younan al-Farid, a priest who has stayed on in the capital even after his brother emigrated to Canada and his sister to the United States.

With fewer worshippers, "up to 30 percent of Iraq's churches closed," Farid told AFP.

After nearly two decades of bloodshed and bombings, Iraq entered a period of relative calm following IS's territorial defeat in late 2017.

But that hasn't stopped the flight of minorities.

"People are still leaving. Christians are just trying to save up enough money, and then as soon as they can, they emigrate," said Farid.

The country's parlous economy is the main driver of emigration now, Christians across the country told AFP.

The pandemic triggered a worldwide recession, and Iraq faced the additional challenge of collapsing oil prices, which slashed state revenues from crude sales.

That has led to delays or cuts in public sector salaries in federal Iraq as well as the autonomous Kurdish region, where many Christians still live.

"I only receive one salary every two months, and sometimes not even the full salary," lamented Haval Emmanuel, a Chaldean government worker originally from northern Iraq.&nbsp;

"As soon as I get paid, I have to pay debts from the preceding weeks and then I have nothing left."

An 'angel', meeting 'demons'

Emmanuel grew up in Iraq's southernmost city of Basra, then married and lived in Baghdad until 2004, when a bomb detonated outside the school his children attended.

Now grown, one of his daughters has emigrated to Norway with her husband, and his brother and sister have each moved their families to Lebanon.

Emmanuel, his wife and their three other children are eking out a living in Arbil as they await a response for their own resettlement requests.

"We're suffocating: there's no social care, no health services, no public schools, no work," he told AFP at his modest home near Arbil's Chaldean Archdiocese.

It irked him to see the lack of public services in oil-rich Basra, piles of rubbish disfiguring Baghdad's historic Rasheed Street, or posters of late Iranian supreme leader Ruhollah Khomeini in squares and streets in southern Iraq.

"It's supposed to be a public place, but it makes me feel like I have no place here," said Emmanuel.

"If they open everything up, I guarantee that by tomorrow, there won't be any Christians left. At least abroad, we will finally feel respected as humans."

The economic downturn, the poor quality of life, the shrinking space for minorities -- Emmanuel blamed it all on an entrenched political class seen as deeply corrupt.&nbsp;

And there's little the pope can do to change that.&nbsp;

"The pope is like an angel coming down on Iraq, but how many demons will he find here? A man of peace visiting a group of warlords -- how could he change them?" he said.

Emmanuel, whose daughter will sing in the choir that is set to welcome Pope Francis when he arrives in Arbil, broke into a bitter smile.&nbsp;

"We're expecting the pope. But we're not expecting much from his visit."

Some fled after the US-led invasion, others during sectarian bloodshed and more following jihadist attacks. Iraq's last two violent decades have hollowed out its Christian community which dates back two millennia.

Some fled after the US-led invasion, others during sectarian bloodshed and more following jihadist attacks. Iraq's last two violent decades have hollowed out its Christian community which dates back two millennia. After first settling in the fertile plains of Nineveh province before heading for the busy boulevards of Baghdad, more than one million Christians have in more modern times been uprooted by Iraq's consecutive conflicts. "By the age of 24, I had already lived through and survived three wars," said Sally Fawzi, an Iraqi Chaldean Catholic, who left her country more than a decade ago and is now living in the US state of Texas. Some members of Iraq's historic Christian community escaped to the nearby autonomous Kurdish region, others waited in neighbouring Jordan to emigrate and then resettled in countries as far away as Australia. Many lost hope in their homeland long ago, but see next month's scheduled visit by Pope Francis -- the first-ever papal trip to Iraq -- as an important opportunity for him to use his voice to garner international support for Iraqis of their faith. Iraq's Christian community is one of the oldest and most diverse in the world, featuring Chaldean, Armenian Orthodox, Protestant as well as other branches of Christianity. By 2003, when then-dictator Saddam Hussein was toppled, there were 1.5 million Christians in a country of 25 million people, or around six percent of the population. But as Iraq's population mushroomed, the percentage of the minorities shrank. Today, only 400,000 Christians remain in a predominantly Muslim country of 40 million people, said William Warda, co-founder of the Hammurabi Human Rights Organisation. Among those who left, nearly half a million resettled in the United States. Others ended up dispersed in Canada, Australia, Norway and other parts of Europe. The first wave Rana Said, 40, had tried her hardest to stay. Her aunt and uncle were killed in 2007, when US soldiers blindly opened fire on the streets of Mosul after an attack in the regional capital of the northern province of Nineveh. Still, she remained in the city with her husband Ammar al-Kass, 41, a veterinarian. The following year, with Iraq gripped by sectarian bloodletting, a string of assassinations, including of Christians, pushed the Kass family to move to the relative safety of Iraqi Kurdistan. But by 2013, the region was growing increasingly unstable. The couple finally left their ancestral Iraq and were resettled on the Gold Coast of Australia where they found jobs in their respective professions and have raised three daughters: Sara, 10, Liza, six, and three-year-old Rose. The young girls have never visited Iraq, although they speak Arabic and a modern dialect of Assyrian -- the ancient language of Christ -- at home. A year after they resettled, jihadists from the so-called Islamic State group swept through their city. The family watched in horror from halfway around the world. "The fall of Mosul wasn't easy for us," Ammar recounted, particularly IS's destruction of the city's Church of the Virgin Mary, a 1,200-year-old piece of treasured heritage. "That's where my father was married. It was razed and obliterated to the ground," he said. He tried to keep his wife -- pregnant with Liza at the time -- away from computers and phones, afraid the added stress would harm the baby. "I used to have nightmares about IS entering and killing and raping my family. It was a repetitive, horrible dream," Rana said emotionally, of the jihadists who forced women of the Yazidi religious minority and those of other minorities into sexual slavery. Lingering in limbo Saad Hormuz lived the IS nightmare in person. On August 6, 2014, IS fighters swept into Bartalla, the diverse town on the edges of Mosul where Hormuz had worked as a taxi driver. "First, we fled towards Al-Qosh," another Christian town further north, he told AFP. But as the jihadists kept up their pillaging of Nineveh, they escaped to Arbil, the capital of the Kurdish region. With his wife Afnan, 48, and their four children -- Natalie, 7, Nores, 15, Franz, 16, and Fadi, 19 -- they lived in a church for a month before renting an apartment at $150 per month for nearly three years. That severely strained their finances. Three years later, Iraq's military declared it had freed Bartalla from IS's grip. The Hormuz family was elated and rushed back to resume life in their hometown. But they found their home had been torched and ransacked, and that members of the Hashed al-Shaabi, a powerful state-sponsored paramilitary network formed from mostly-Shiite armed groups and volunteers to fight IS, now controlled Bartalla. "We lived in fear. There were checkpoints and militias everywhere. Once, they even asked my wife to wear a veil," said Hormuz. "So I decided to sell everything, even my car, and move to Jordan," he told AFP. They have lived in a two-bedroom apartment in Amman since February 2018, hoping to be resettled permanently in Canada, where he and his wife have family connections. With Covid-19 slowing down all international travel, the immigration process has been indefinitely frozen as their savings dwindle further. Registered as a refugee in Jordan, Hormuz does not have the right to work legally and relies on soup kitchens at Amman's few churches to keep his family fed. "I hope that through his visit to Iraq, the pope will ask countries receiving Christian refugees to help us," he said. "Going back to Iraq is out of the question." Exile and rebirth Many in Chaldean Bishop Saad Sirop Hanna's parishes in Sweden feel the same way. Born in Baghdad, Hanna, 40, was sent in 2017 to lead Europe's largest Chaldean congregation of around 25,000 people, who had arrived in Sweden in waves over the past four decades. He lived through much of the violence they had fled, describing it as "great chaos." In 2006, he was kidnapped after presiding over mass in the Iraqi capital. "I was held and went through lots of experiences -- including torture and isolation," Hanna told AFP. "This experience also gave me strength, truth be told. I was born again. I look at life again with a great blessing and a great love," he said. There are more than 140,000 Iraqi-born residents in Sweden, including Raghid Benna, a native of Mosul who resettled in the eastern town of Sodertalje in 2007. "There are so many Chaldeans here that I don't even feel like I'm in exile," said Benna, a father of two. For Sally Fawzi, 38, who was resettled in the US as a refugee in 2008, memories of home can be painful. "My family was devastated in 2007 when we learned that my two great aunts in Kirkuk had been stabbed to death at night in their home just because they were Christians," she told AFP. "Today, I have a house, a beautiful family of my own, a job, and my immediate family live in the same city, but I miss my Baghdad house and friends the most," Fawzi said. "It will never be the same." From bloodshed to bankruptcy As young families escape Iraq, they often leave their older relatives behind, said Warda of the Hammurabi Human Rights Organisation. "A Christian family was typically five members. Now it's down to three," he said. In Baghdad, the once-thriving community of 750,000 Christians has shrunk by 90 percent. Among them is Younan al-Farid, a priest who has stayed on in the capital even after his brother emigrated to Canada and his sister to the United States. With fewer worshippers, "up to 30 percent of Iraq's churches closed," Farid told AFP. After nearly two decades of bloodshed and bombings, Iraq entered a period of relative calm following IS's territorial defeat in late 2017. But that hasn't stopped the flight of minorities. "People are still leaving. Christians are just trying to save up enough money, and then as soon as they can, they emigrate," said Farid. The country's parlous economy is the main driver of emigration now, Christians across the country told AFP. The pandemic triggered a worldwide recession, and Iraq faced the additional challenge of collapsing oil prices, which slashed state revenues from crude sales. That has led to delays or cuts in public sector salaries in federal Iraq as well as the autonomous Kurdish region, where many Christians still live. "I only receive one salary every two months, and sometimes not even the full salary," lamented Haval Emmanuel, a Chaldean government worker originally from northern Iraq. "As soon as I get paid, I have to pay debts from the preceding weeks and then I have nothing left." An 'angel', meeting 'demons' Emmanuel grew up in Iraq's southernmost city of Basra, then married and lived in Baghdad until 2004, when a bomb detonated outside the school his children attended. Now grown, one of his daughters has emigrated to Norway with her husband, and his brother and sister have each moved their families to Lebanon. Emmanuel, his wife and their three other children are eking out a living in Arbil as they await a response for their own resettlement requests. "We're suffocating: there's no social care, no health services, no public schools, no work," he told AFP at his modest home near Arbil's Chaldean Archdiocese. It irked him to see the lack of public services in oil-rich Basra, piles of rubbish disfiguring Baghdad's historic Rasheed Street, or posters of late Iranian supreme leader Ruhollah Khomeini in squares and streets in southern Iraq. "It's supposed to be a public place, but it makes me feel like I have no place here," said Emmanuel. "If they open everything up, I guarantee that by tomorrow, there won't be any Christians left. At least abroad, we will finally feel respected as humans." The economic downturn, the poor quality of life, the shrinking space for minorities -- Emmanuel blamed it all on an entrenched political class seen as deeply corrupt. And there's little the pope can do to change that. "The pope is like an angel coming down on Iraq, but how many demons will he find here? A man of peace visiting a group of warlords -- how could he change them?" he said. Emmanuel, whose daughter will sing in the choir that is set to welcome Pope Francis when he arrives in Arbil, broke into a bitter smile. "We're expecting the pope. But we're not expecting much from his visit."

Iraq's ancient Christian community, decimated by violence, fear 

Committee to Protect Journalists said on Saturday that sentencing of Iraqi Kurdish journalists Sherwan Sherwani and Guhdar Zebari to six years in jail "for jeopardising Kurdish national security" was "unfair and disproportionate".

The journalists were arrested in Kurdish region of Iraq last year after their coverage of anti-government protests in Duhok, a province controlled by ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party, reported Al-Jazeera. The freelance journalists were found guilty on February 16 by a court in Erbil that held them guilty for putting Kurdish national security at risk.

They cited social media exchanges wherein they had criticised the government. According to a report by Voice of America (VOA), Sherwani`s lawyer said journalistic materials were presented as evidence of spying, and others pointed out that the region`s prime minister had described the journalists as spies in a press conference a week before the trial.

"With this verdict, the Kurdish authorities are sending a clear message: the press freedom that they claim to defend and to uphold and to respect is not being respected," Ignacio Miguel Delgado, the CPJ Middle East and North Africa representative, told Al Jazeera.

"Iraqi Kurdistan keeps claiming that it`s the only democracy [in the region] and it takes pride in that...But what we have witnessed throughout 2020 and into this new year is the exact opposite, at least as far as press freedom goes," said Delgado.

Meanwhile, the VOA has reported Sherwani as saying that he was tortured both mentally and physically during the investigation."While I was under investigation, I was not allowed to see my lawyers, I got tortured physically and mentally, they threatened me of raping my wife," Sherwani told the court.

(With ANI inputs)

Committee to Protect Journalists said on Saturday that sentencing of Iraqi Kurdish journalists Sherwan Sherwani and Guhdar Zebari to six years in jail "for jeopardising Kurdish national security" was "unfair and disproportionate".

Committee to Protect Journalists said on Saturday that sentencing of Iraqi Kurdish journalists Sherwan Sherwani and Guhdar Zebari to six years in jail "for jeopardising Kurdish national security" was "unfair and disproportionate". The journalists were arrested in Kurdish region of Iraq last year after their coverage of anti-government protests in Duhok, a province controlled by ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party, reported Al-Jazeera. The freelance journalists were found guilty on February 16 by a court in Erbil that held them guilty for putting Kurdish national security at risk. They cited social media exchanges wherein they had criticised the government. According to a report by Voice of America (VOA), Sherwani`s lawyer said journalistic materials were presented as evidence of spying, and others pointed out that the region`s prime minister had described the journalists as spies in a press conference a week before the trial. "With this verdict, the Kurdish authorities are sending a clear message: the press freedom that they claim to defend and to uphold and to respect is not being respected," Ignacio Miguel Delgado, the CPJ Middle East and North Africa representative, told Al Jazeera. "Iraqi Kurdistan keeps claiming that it`s the only democracy [in the region] and it takes pride in that...But what we have witnessed throughout 2020 and into this new year is the exact opposite, at least as far as press freedom goes," said Delgado. Meanwhile, the VOA has reported Sherwani as saying that he was tortured both mentally and physically during the investigation."While I was under investigation, I was not allowed to see my lawyers, I got tortured physically and mentally, they threatened me of raping my wife," Sherwani told the court. (With ANI inputs)

6-year jail for Iraqi Kurdish journalists unfair, says Committee to Protect Journalists

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday the alliance had made "no final decision" on the future of its Afghanistan mission, as new US President Joe Biden weighs pulling out troops.&nbsp;

While defence ministers held off on making that call at a two-day virtual conference, they did decide to expand a NATO training mission in Iraq from 500 to "around 4,000" personnel.&nbsp;

The fate of NATO's 9,600-strong support mission in Afghanistan was top of the agenda after former US leader Donald Trump struck a deal with the Taliban to pull troops out.

Biden's administration is reviewing whether to stick to a looming May 1 deadline to withdraw or risk a bloody backlash from the insurgents by staying.

"We are faced with many dilemmas and there are no easy options. At this stage, we have made no final decision on the future of our presence," Stoltenberg said at a news conference.&nbsp;

"But as the May 1st deadline is approaching, NATO allies will continue to closely consult and coordinate in the coming weeks."

Stoltenberg insisted the Taliban must live up to commitments under the deal with the US, including making progress in peace talks with Kabul, reducing violence and cutting ties to "international terrorist groups".

"NATO's goal is to ensure that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorists that would attack our homelands," he said.

The Taliban has launched a string of offensives threatening at least two provincial capitals and warned NATO ministers not to seek a "continuation of occupation and war" by staying.&nbsp;

"The protection of our troops remains paramount, and we will take all necessary measures to keep them safe," Stoltenberg said.&nbsp;

Allies are waiting anxiously for Biden to make his decision on whether to end two decades of involvement in Afghanistan -- but say they are willing to remain if the US stays too. &nbsp;

While Trump cut US forces to just 2,500 troop in January, the other NATO members rely on the American capabilities to keep the mission going.&nbsp;

US officials said new Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, keen to revitalise ties after years of tensions under Trump, was going to listen to the allies and pass on their input to Biden.&nbsp;

Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the review with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in a call on Wednesday and vowed the US would consult closely "on the way ahead", Washington said. &nbsp;&nbsp;

- Iraq expansion -

On Iraq, defence ministers agreed to bolster a NATO training mission aimed at strengthening the country's military as it looks to curb the resurgence of the Islamic State group.&nbsp;

"The size of our mission will increase from 500 personnel to around 4,000," Stoltenberg said, adding that the increases would be "incremental".&nbsp;

"Training activities will now include more Iraqi security institutions, and areas beyond Baghdad."

Stoltenberg insisted that the mission was being carried out "at the request of the Iraqi government".&nbsp;

"It is carried out with full respect for Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said.

NATO has had a small non-combat mission in the country since 2018 to train and advise Iraqi forces.&nbsp;

The alliance announced plans to expand the mission last year under pressure from Trump to increase NATO's role in the Middle East.&nbsp;

That move was put on hold by the coronavirus pandemic and worries about instability, but is now being pushed through with strong backing from Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.&nbsp;

There is currently also a force from a US-led coalition against IS based mainly in the northern city of Arbil in Iraq's Kurdish region.&nbsp;

Since Iraq declared victory over IS in late 2017, the coalition presence has been reduced to fewer than 3,500 troops, of whom 2,500 are American.

The expanded NATO mission is expected to take over some of the training currently being conducted by the anti-IS coalition.&nbsp;

The announcement comes amid fears over rising tensions in Iraq after a rocket attack on Monday killed a foreign contractor for the US military in Arbil.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday the alliance had made "no final decision" on the future of its Afghanistan mission, as new US President Joe Biden weighs pulling out troops.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday the alliance had made "no final decision" on the future of its Afghanistan mission, as new US President Joe Biden weighs pulling out troops. While defence ministers held off on making that call at a two-day virtual conference, they did decide to expand a NATO training mission in Iraq from 500 to "around 4,000" personnel. The fate of NATO's 9,600-strong support mission in Afghanistan was top of the agenda after former US leader Donald Trump struck a deal with the Taliban to pull troops out. Biden's administration is reviewing whether to stick to a looming May 1 deadline to withdraw or risk a bloody backlash from the insurgents by staying. "We are faced with many dilemmas and there are no easy options. At this stage, we have made no final decision on the future of our presence," Stoltenberg said at a news conference. "But as the May 1st deadline is approaching, NATO allies will continue to closely consult and coordinate in the coming weeks." Stoltenberg insisted the Taliban must live up to commitments under the deal with the US, including making progress in peace talks with Kabul, reducing violence and cutting ties to "international terrorist groups". "NATO's goal is to ensure that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorists that would attack our homelands," he said. The Taliban has launched a string of offensives threatening at least two provincial capitals and warned NATO ministers not to seek a "continuation of occupation and war" by staying. "The protection of our troops remains paramount, and we will take all necessary measures to keep them safe," Stoltenberg said. Allies are waiting anxiously for Biden to make his decision on whether to end two decades of involvement in Afghanistan -- but say they are willing to remain if the US stays too. While Trump cut US forces to just 2,500 troop in January, the other NATO members rely on the American capabilities to keep the mission going. US officials said new Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, keen to revitalise ties after years of tensions under Trump, was going to listen to the allies and pass on their input to Biden. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the review with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in a call on Wednesday and vowed the US would consult closely "on the way ahead", Washington said. - Iraq expansion - On Iraq, defence ministers agreed to bolster a NATO training mission aimed at strengthening the country's military as it looks to curb the resurgence of the Islamic State group. "The size of our mission will increase from 500 personnel to around 4,000," Stoltenberg said, adding that the increases would be "incremental". "Training activities will now include more Iraqi security institutions, and areas beyond Baghdad." Stoltenberg insisted that the mission was being carried out "at the request of the Iraqi government". "It is carried out with full respect for Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said. NATO has had a small non-combat mission in the country since 2018 to train and advise Iraqi forces. The alliance announced plans to expand the mission last year under pressure from Trump to increase NATO's role in the Middle East. That move was put on hold by the coronavirus pandemic and worries about instability, but is now being pushed through with strong backing from Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. There is currently also a force from a US-led coalition against IS based mainly in the northern city of Arbil in Iraq's Kurdish region. Since Iraq declared victory over IS in late 2017, the coalition presence has been reduced to fewer than 3,500 troops, of whom 2,500 are American. The expanded NATO mission is expected to take over some of the training currently being conducted by the anti-IS coalition. The announcement comes amid fears over rising tensions in Iraq after a rocket attack on Monday killed a foreign contractor for the US military in Arbil.

NATO puts holds on Afghanistan decision, expands in Iraq

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday sued his main opposition rival for claiming he was personally "responsible" for the deaths of 13 Turks in Iraq.

Turkey accuses outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants of executing the 13 police officers and security personnel, whom they had abducted in Turkey and held hostage in a cave in northern Iraq.

But the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey and its Western allies, said the 13 were killed by Turkish bombs dropped during a rescue operation Ankara launched last week.

The failed rescue attempt has piled political pressure on Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey as prime minister and president since 2003.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), said in parliament on Tuesday that it was "Erdogan who is responsible for our 13 martyrs".

"You are launching an operation but all the hostages died," Kilicdaroglu said. &nbsp;

His comments infuriated Erdogan, whose lawyers are now seeking 500,000 Turkish liras ($72,000, 60,000 euros) in compensation for "moral damages", the Anadolu state news agency reported.&nbsp;

The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), parliament's second-largest opposition group, also criticised Erdogan for the failed operation, arguing that negotiations would have been more effective.

But Erdogan's right-wing allies, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), threw their support behind the government.&nbsp;

"Turkey is a rising power which fought in (northern Iraq) not only against the PKK but also against strategic threats," MHP leader Devlet Bahceli tweeted.

The Turkish army regularly conducts cross-border operations and air raids on PKK bases in northern Iraq.

On Wednesday, Erdogan said more than 12,900 Kurdish militants -- 6,000 at home and 6,900 abroad -- have been killed since a ceasefire with the PKK broke down in July 2015.

The PKK have been waging an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984 that is believed to have left more than 40,000 dead.

Turkey's botched rescue attempt also caused a diplomatic spat between Ankara and Washington, which initially said it was waiting for official confirmation before blaming the deaths on the PKK.

Washington blamed the group after Erdogan accused the United States of siding with "terrorists".

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday sued his main opposition rival for claiming he was personally "responsible" for the deaths of 13 Turks in Iraq.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday sued his main opposition rival for claiming he was personally "responsible" for the deaths of 13 Turks in Iraq. Turkey accuses outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants of executing the 13 police officers and security personnel, whom they had abducted in Turkey and held hostage in a cave in northern Iraq. But the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey and its Western allies, said the 13 were killed by Turkish bombs dropped during a rescue operation Ankara launched last week. The failed rescue attempt has piled political pressure on Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey as prime minister and president since 2003. Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), said in parliament on Tuesday that it was "Erdogan who is responsible for our 13 martyrs". "You are launching an operation but all the hostages died," Kilicdaroglu said. His comments infuriated Erdogan, whose lawyers are now seeking 500,000 Turkish liras ($72,000, 60,000 euros) in compensation for "moral damages", the Anadolu state news agency reported. The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), parliament's second-largest opposition group, also criticised Erdogan for the failed operation, arguing that negotiations would have been more effective. But Erdogan's right-wing allies, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), threw their support behind the government. "Turkey is a rising power which fought in (northern Iraq) not only against the PKK but also against strategic threats," MHP leader Devlet Bahceli tweeted. The Turkish army regularly conducts cross-border operations and air raids on PKK bases in northern Iraq. On Wednesday, Erdogan said more than 12,900 Kurdish militants -- 6,000 at home and 6,900 abroad -- have been killed since a ceasefire with the PKK broke down in July 2015. The PKK have been waging an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984 that is believed to have left more than 40,000 dead. Turkey's botched rescue attempt also caused a diplomatic spat between Ankara and Washington, which initially said it was waiting for official confirmation before blaming the deaths on the PKK. Washington blamed the group after Erdogan accused the United States of siding with "terrorists".

Erdogan sues opposition rival in row over Iraq deaths

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Monday for an investigation into a rocket attack on an airbase in Iraq's Kurdistan region and promised to "hold accountable those responsible."

A volley of rockets targeting the base late Monday killed a foreign civilian contractor and wounded five others and a US soldier, the US-led coalition said.

"We are outraged by today's rocket attack in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region," Blinken said in a statement.

"I have reached out to Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani to discuss the incident and to pledge our support for all efforts to investigate and hold accountable those responsible."

The attack was the first time Western military or diplomatic installations have been targeted in Iraq in nearly two months, after a string of such incidents.

Under former US President Donald Trump, Washington had vowed that the killing of an American national in such a rocket attack would prompt retaliation against Iran, whom US military officials accuse of backing the Iraqi militia groups behind the strikes.&nbsp;

But Blinken's call for an investigation marks a shift away from that policy under President Joe Biden's new administration.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Monday for an investigation into a rocket attack on an airbase in Iraq's Kurdistan region and promised to "hold accountable those responsible.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Monday for an investigation into a rocket attack on an airbase in Iraq's Kurdistan region and promised to "hold accountable those responsible." A volley of rockets targeting the base late Monday killed a foreign civilian contractor and wounded five others and a US soldier, the US-led coalition said. "We are outraged by today's rocket attack in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region," Blinken said in a statement. "I have reached out to Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani to discuss the incident and to pledge our support for all efforts to investigate and hold accountable those responsible." The attack was the first time Western military or diplomatic installations have been targeted in Iraq in nearly two months, after a string of such incidents. Under former US President Donald Trump, Washington had vowed that the killing of an American national in such a rocket attack would prompt retaliation against Iran, whom US military officials accuse of backing the Iraqi militia groups behind the strikes. But Blinken's call for an investigation marks a shift away from that policy under President Joe Biden's new administration.

US vows to 'hold accountable those responsible' for Arbil attack

After Turkey accused Washington of questioning its account of the massacre in Iraq, the US State Department has finally affirmed the Turkish hostages in northern Iraq were killed by the members of the Kurdish terror group.

Turkey diplomatic row ensues as US affirms killing of Turkish Nationals by PKK

3-years of occupation by the Islamic State group in Mosul has left the city deserted. Watch this special report to get the full story.

Mosul: 3-years of occupation by Islamic State group left the city deserted

Residents of Mosul are now returning after years of war and devastation. Three years after the devastating battle to reclaim Mosul, from the Islamic State group, now a team of volunteers is rebuilding the city. WION brings you a report.

Residents return Mosul after years of war, team of professionals rebuilding the city

The US military has cut troop levels in Afghanistan and Iraq to 2,500 each, their lowest levels in the nearly two decades since the wars began.

U.S. to further scale down troop deployment in Iraq

It all started after the coronavirus pandemic broke out and lockdowns prevented youth from Basra to take to the streets. Stuck at home, Mustafa Ibrahim, a student, started to watch skateboarding videos online. But when government-imposed restrictions started to ease, Ibrahim and a few of his friends took to the streets to practice this newly-discovered hobby.

Basra youth pioneer skateboarding in their city

Pope Francis will meet top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani during first-ever papal visit to Iraq, as per a senior Catholic cleric. Louis Sako, patriarch of Iraq's Chaldean Catholic Church, said it would be a "private visit" between the two religious figures. The visit will be "without formalities".

Sako hoped that the two religious figures would sign document on "human fraternity for world peace". The document is an inter-religious text condemning extremism that the Pope signed with leading Sunni cleric, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, in 2019.

Pope Francis will visit Ira from March 5 to 8. He has plans of visiting Baghdad, the northern city of Mosul and Ur, where Abraham is said to have been born.

Iraq once counted more than 1.5 million Christians, but the community has been ravaged by successive conflicts.

Following the US-led invasion of 2003, sectarian warfare prompted followers of Iraq's multiple Christian denominations to flee and attacks by the Islamic State group in 2014 further hit all minority communities.

Now, an estimated 400,000 Christians remain in Iraq.&nbsp;

(With AFP inputs)

Pope Francis will meet top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani during first-ever papal visit to Iraq, as per a senior Catholic cleric. Louis Sako, patriarch of Iraq's Chaldean Catholic Church, said it would be a "private visit" between the two religious figures.

Pope Francis will meet top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani during first-ever papal visit to Iraq, as per a senior Catholic cleric. Louis Sako, patriarch of Iraq's Chaldean Catholic Church, said it would be a "private visit" between the two religious figures. The visit will be "without formalities". Sako hoped that the two religious figures would sign document on "human fraternity for world peace". The document is an inter-religious text condemning extremism that the Pope signed with leading Sunni cleric, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, in 2019. Pope Francis will visit Ira from March 5 to 8. He has plans of visiting Baghdad, the northern city of Mosul and Ur, where Abraham is said to have been born. Iraq once counted more than 1.5 million Christians, but the community has been ravaged by successive conflicts. Following the US-led invasion of 2003, sectarian warfare prompted followers of Iraq's multiple Christian denominations to flee and attacks by the Islamic State group in 2014 further hit all minority communities. Now, an estimated 400,000 Christians remain in Iraq. (With AFP inputs)

Pope Francis to meet top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani during Iraq visit

This amputee Palestinian teen gets a taste of freedom in Parkour

It is being called the deadliest attack in three years. Two suicide blasts in central Baghdad killed at least 32. Palki Sharma Upadhyay tells you more.

Gravitas: Twin suicide bombing kills more than 30 in Iraq

Iraq has reduced annual supplies of Basra crude oil to several Indian refiners by up to 20% for 2021, industry sources said, in a rare move by OPEC`s second-largest producer which is trying to meet its obligations under the group`s production deal.

Iraq was the top oil supplier to India in 2020 and a reduction in long-term Basra crude supplies could erode Baghdad`s market share in the world`s third largest oil importer and consumer.

Iraq`s Oil Marketing Company (SOMO) has reduced the 2021 Basra term volumes to several Indian refiners by between 10% and 20%, the sources said.

SOMO did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

"We never expected Iraq to cut volumes. We may have to look for alternatives like tapping the spot markets," said a source at one of the Indian refiners.

"This is happening at a time when we are preparing to increase run rates as fuel demand is recovering." 
SOMO told Indian refiners that it had reduced annual contracts for all Asian buyers to compensate for higher volumes produced in the previous year, one of the sources said.

Iraq has been striving to meet its output target under an agreement between the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies, including Russia, to limit production and support global oil prices. Baghdad is heavily reliant on oil revenues to support the country`s economy.

Iraqi Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul Jabbar said earlier in January that it will stay committed to OPEC decisions and compensate for its overproduction.

India on Tuesday complained that recent output cuts by some OPEC countries had created uncertainty for customers and led to a surge in global oil prices.

The changes in term supply volumes come as Iraq launched its new sour crude grade Basra Medium in January by splitting existing Basra Light crude production into two grades to improve the quality of its oil. SOMO also exports a third grade Basra Heavy.

The sources said SOMO cut term supplies to Indian Oil Corp, the country`s top refiner and its biggest Indian client, by 10% to about 350,000 barrels per day (bpd) for all three Basra crude grades, while the volume for Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd fell by 17% to 50,000 bpd.

SOMO is planning to cut the oil contract of Bharat Petroleum by about a quarter from last year`s 100,000 bpd, the sources said, adding that discussions with BPCL were still ongoing as the Indian company`s annual contract begins from April.

Hindustan Petroleum, which buys Basra Light oil, has asked SOMO to reduce its term supplies to about 50,000 bpd in 2021, down from about 80,000 bpd in 2020.

Iraq has agreed to HPCL`s request for lower supplies, while the companies are in talks about additional supply of Basra Medium grade, they said.

The annual oil contract for Reliance Industries, operator of the world`s largest refining complex, has also been changed. Reliance will get 33,000 bpd of Basra Medium grade instead of 66,000 bpd of Basra Light, the sources said.

The Indian refiners did not respond to Reuters` requests for comment.

The supply cuts to India followed a $2.5 billion oil prepayment deal between SOMO and Chinese state oil trader Zhenhua Oil Corp for 48 million barrels of Basra crude.

Iraq has reduced annual supplies of Basra crude oil to several Indian refiners by up to 20% for 2021, industry sources said, in a rare move by OPEC`s second-largest producer which is trying to meet its obligations under the group`s production deal.

Iraq has reduced annual supplies of Basra crude oil to several Indian refiners by up to 20% for 2021, industry sources said, in a rare move by OPEC`s second-largest producer which is trying to meet its obligations under the group`s production deal. Iraq was the top oil supplier to India in 2020 and a reduction in long-term Basra crude supplies could erode Baghdad`s market share in the world`s third largest oil importer and consumer. Iraq`s Oil Marketing Company (SOMO) has reduced the 2021 Basra term volumes to several Indian refiners by between 10% and 20%, the sources said. SOMO did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. "We never expected Iraq to cut volumes. We may have to look for alternatives like tapping the spot markets," said a source at one of the Indian refiners. "This is happening at a time when we are preparing to increase run rates as fuel demand is recovering." SOMO told Indian refiners that it had reduced annual contracts for all Asian buyers to compensate for higher volumes produced in the previous year, one of the sources said. Iraq has been striving to meet its output target under an agreement between the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies, including Russia, to limit production and support global oil prices. Baghdad is heavily reliant on oil revenues to support the country`s economy. Iraqi Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul Jabbar said earlier in January that it will stay committed to OPEC decisions and compensate for its overproduction. India on Tuesday complained that recent output cuts by some OPEC countries had created uncertainty for customers and led to a surge in global oil prices. The changes in term supply volumes come as Iraq launched its new sour crude grade Basra Medium in January by splitting existing Basra Light crude production into two grades to improve the quality of its oil. SOMO also exports a third grade Basra Heavy. The sources said SOMO cut term supplies to Indian Oil Corp, the country`s top refiner and its biggest Indian client, by 10% to about 350,000 barrels per day (bpd) for all three Basra crude grades, while the volume for Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd fell by 17% to 50,000 bpd. SOMO is planning to cut the oil contract of Bharat Petroleum by about a quarter from last year`s 100,000 bpd, the sources said, adding that discussions with BPCL were still ongoing as the Indian company`s annual contract begins from April. Hindustan Petroleum, which buys Basra Light oil, has asked SOMO to reduce its term supplies to about 50,000 bpd in 2021, down from about 80,000 bpd in 2020. Iraq has agreed to HPCL`s request for lower supplies, while the companies are in talks about additional supply of Basra Medium grade, they said. The annual oil contract for Reliance Industries, operator of the world`s largest refining complex, has also been changed. Reliance will get 33,000 bpd of Basra Medium grade instead of 66,000 bpd of Basra Light, the sources said. The Indian refiners did not respond to Reuters` requests for comment. The supply cuts to India followed a $2.5 billion oil prepayment deal between SOMO and Chinese state oil trader Zhenhua Oil Corp for 48 million barrels of Basra crude.

Iraq has cut crude oil supplies for most Indian refiners in 2021, report says

Two men blew themselves up in a crowded Baghdad market on Thursday, killing at least 28 people in Iraq's first big suicide bombing for three years, authorities said, describing it as a possible sign of the reactivation of Islamic State.

Fineprint: Suicide attacks in Iraq's Baghdad kill at least 28

A twin suicide bombing killed at least 23 people and wounded more than 30 in a Baghdad market on Thursday, the first such attack in years, security and medical sources said.

Iraq: Death toll from Baghdad twin suicide attack reaches 23

A twin suicide bombing killed at least 13 people and wounded more than 30 in a Baghdad market on Thursday, the first such attack in years, security and medical sources said.

Rare twin suicide attack kills at least 13 in Baghdad

The US military troops in Afghanistan and Iraq are at its lowest with 2,500 each in about two decades since the war started, the Pentagon announced on Friday.&nbsp;

"Today, the United States is closer than ever to ending nearly two decades of war and welcoming in an Afghan-owned, Afghan-led peace process to achieve a political settlement and a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire," Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller was quoted as saying in a statement reported by news agency AFP.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/afghan-military-releases-13-civilians-policeman-from-taliban-prison-356661">Afghan military releases 13 civilians, policeman from Taliban prison</a>

Miller said that a path to peace in both the nations means&nbsp;the cuts of troop without compromising with the security for Americans and its allies.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/afghan-forces-foil-is-plan-to-assassinate-top-us-envoy-356264">Afghan forces foil IS plan to assassinate top US envoy</a>

He added that further reduction will depend on the progress of peace talks between Afghanistan and the Taliban.&nbsp;

"Moving forward, while the (Defense) Department continues with planning capable of further reducing US troop levels to zero by May of 2021, any such future drawdowns remain conditions-based," Miller said.

Miller said that troop reduction in Iraq reflects the "the increased capabilities" of Iraqi security personnel, adding that this does not mean a "change in the US policy".&nbsp;

"US and Coalition forces remain in Iraq to ensure the enduring defeat of (the Islamic State group)," he said, adding that counterterrorism operations will continue in Iraq with sharing "airpower" and "intelligence". 
&nbsp;

The US military troops in Afghanistan and Iraq are at its lowest with 2,500 each in about two decades since the war started, the Pentagon announced on Friday. "Today, the United States is closer than ever to ending nearly two decades of war and welcoming in an Afghan-owned, Afghan-led peace process to achieve a political settlement and a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire," Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller was quoted as saying in a statement reported by news agency AFP.

The US military troops in Afghanistan and Iraq are at its lowest with 2,500 each in about two decades since the war started, the Pentagon announced on Friday. "Today, the United States is closer than ever to ending nearly two decades of war and welcoming in an Afghan-owned, Afghan-led peace process to achieve a political settlement and a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire," Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller was quoted as saying in a statement reported by news agency AFP. Also read | Afghan military releases 13 civilians, policeman from Taliban prison Miller said that a path to peace in both the nations means the cuts of troop without compromising with the security for Americans and its allies. Also read | Afghan forces foil IS plan to assassinate top US envoy He added that further reduction will depend on the progress of peace talks between Afghanistan and the Taliban. "Moving forward, while the (Defense) Department continues with planning capable of further reducing US troop levels to zero by May of 2021, any such future drawdowns remain conditions-based," Miller said. Miller said that troop reduction in Iraq reflects the "the increased capabilities" of Iraqi security personnel, adding that this does not mean a "change in the US policy". "US and Coalition forces remain in Iraq to ensure the enduring defeat of (the Islamic State group)," he said, adding that counterterrorism operations will continue in Iraq with sharing "airpower" and "intelligence".

With 2,500 each, US says lowest troops deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan in about two decades

The United States has imposed counterterrorism sanctions through the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on five individuals from Iraq, Morocco and Saudi Arabia, the US Department of the Treasury announced in a statement on Tuesday.

The five individuals are Muhammad Abbatay born in Morocco, Isma'il Fu'ad Rasul Ahmed from Iraq, Sultan Yusuf Hasan al-Arif from Saudi Arabia, Fuad Ahmad Nuri Ali al-Shakhan from Saudi Arabia and Niamat Hama Rahim Hama Sharif, orginally from Iraq, the statement said.

US has designated them each as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), according to the US Treasury Department’s website.

US media reported on Monday that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo plans to use newly declassified US intelligence to publicly accuse Iran of ties to al Qaeda in a speech on Tuesday, two people familiar with the matter said, as part of his last-minute offensive against Tehran before handing over to the incoming Biden administration.

(With inputs from agencies)

The United States has imposed counterterrorism sanctions through the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on five individuals from Iraq, Morocco and Saudi Arabia, the US Department of the Treasury announced in a statement on Tuesday.

The United States has imposed counterterrorism sanctions through the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on five individuals from Iraq, Morocco and Saudi Arabia, the US Department of the Treasury announced in a statement on Tuesday. The five individuals are Muhammad Abbatay born in Morocco, Isma'il Fu'ad Rasul Ahmed from Iraq, Sultan Yusuf Hasan al-Arif from Saudi Arabia, Fuad Ahmad Nuri Ali al-Shakhan from Saudi Arabia and Niamat Hama Rahim Hama Sharif, orginally from Iraq, the statement said. US has designated them each as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), according to the US Treasury Department’s website. US media reported on Monday that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo plans to use newly declassified US intelligence to publicly accuse Iran of ties to al Qaeda in a speech on Tuesday, two people familiar with the matter said, as part of his last-minute offensive against Tehran before handing over to the incoming Biden administration. (With inputs from agencies)

US targets 5 individuals from Iraq, Morocco and Saudi Arabia with counter terrorism sanctions: Treasury department

An Iraqi court has issued an arrest warrant against US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump </a>as part of the investigation over the killing of a top Iraqi paramilitary commander.&nbsp;

Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy head of Iraq's majorly pro-Iran Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary network was killed along with top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in a US drone strike last year on January 3.&nbsp;

Watch |&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/demonstrations-in-iran-and-iraq-to-condemn-soleimanis-killing-354178/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The order came on a day when Trump is facing backlash after his supporters stormed into US Capitol building and caused mayhem and violence.&nbsp;

In Pics | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/a-year-after-soleimanis-killing-the-operation-the-method-and-sanctions-354213">A year after Soleimani's killing: The operation, the method, and sanctions</a>

Earlier in the day, the US president also vowed of an "orderly transition" to make way for his Democratic successor Joe Biden who won the November election.&nbsp;

Trump last year ordered the drone attack on the two top military officials and called it that two men were killed "for the price of one".&nbsp;

Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur for extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, has regarded the US actions as "arbitrary" and "illegal".&nbsp;

Earlier in June, Iran issued a warrant against the US president and urged Interpol to send a red notice to other police forces across the world.&nbsp;

The warrant by the Baghdad court was made under Article 406 of the penal code that has a provision for the death penalty in all cases of premeditated murder, the judiciary said.&nbsp;

The court said the preliminary probe had been finished but "investigations are continuing in order to unmask the other culprits in this crime, be they Iraqis or foreigners."

An Iraqi court has issued an arrest warrant against US President Donald Trump as part of the investigation over the killing of a top Iraqi paramilitary commander.

An Iraqi court has issued an arrest warrant against US President Donald Trump as part of the investigation over the killing of a top Iraqi paramilitary commander. Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy head of Iraq's majorly pro-Iran Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary network was killed along with top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in a US drone strike last year on January 3. Watch | The order came on a day when Trump is facing backlash after his supporters stormed into US Capitol building and caused mayhem and violence. In Pics | A year after Soleimani's killing: The operation, the method, and sanctions Earlier in the day, the US president also vowed of an "orderly transition" to make way for his Democratic successor Joe Biden who won the November election. Trump last year ordered the drone attack on the two top military officials and called it that two men were killed "for the price of one". Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur for extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, has regarded the US actions as "arbitrary" and "illegal". Earlier in June, Iran issued a warrant against the US president and urged Interpol to send a red notice to other police forces across the world. The warrant by the Baghdad court was made under Article 406 of the penal code that has a provision for the death penalty in all cases of premeditated murder, the judiciary said. The court said the preliminary probe had been finished but "investigations are continuing in order to unmask the other culprits in this crime, be they Iraqis or foreigners."

Iraqi court issues arrest warrant against Donald Trump

iraq

Iraq, News on Iraq, stories on Iraq, articles on Iraq, Iraq stories at Wion, Iraq news, Iraq latest news