Erbil

Fishermen navigate on the Shatt al-Arab waterway during a sandstorm in Basra, Iraq, Monday, May 23, 2022.

'It's a mass ecological crisis': Extreme weather in Iraq hits those already struggling the hardest

About a dozen dust storms have blown across Iraq this year with increased frequency and intensity. Experts say that it's due to climate change, drought and desertification.

'It's a mass ecological crisis': Extreme weather in Iraq hits those already struggling the hardest
Yassin, a farmer from al-Sebat village in Rural Hasakah, stands in the yard where he keeps his livestock while explaining the catastrophic effects of drought on his life.

Drought in Iraq and Syria could totally collapse food system for millions, aid groups warn

Drought in Iraq and Syria could totally collapse food system for millions, aid groups warn
American Village entrance gates on the outskirts of Erbil, Iraq, the Kurdish defacto capital.

Kurds grapple with US troop drawdown in Iraq

Kurds grapple with US troop drawdown in Iraq
Iranian people attend a funeral procession and burial for Iranian Major-General Qasem Soleimani, head of the elite Quds Force, who was killed in an airstrike at Baghdad airport, at his hometown in Kerman, Iran, Jan. 7, 2020.

Iran fires missiles at Iraqi bases in retaliation for US strike on commander

Iran fires missiles at Iraqi bases in retaliation for US strike on commander
Kurds celebrate to show their support for the upcoming independence referendum in Erbil, in nothern Iraq.

Iraq's Supreme Court orders suspension of Kurdish independence referendum

Iraq's Supreme Court orders suspension of Kurdish independence referendum
Lina Shahab is recovering in a hospital in Erbil, northern Iraq, after surviving an airstrike in Mosul.

‘I saw everything burning’: Iraqi survivors of a suspected US coalition airstrike speak

The Pentagon has confirmed that the ISIS-fighting coalition carried out a strike on March 17 in an area of western Mosul where residents say more than 100 civilians were killed. US officials say they're investigating the incident.

‘I saw everything burning’: Iraqi survivors of a suspected US coalition airstrike speak
Fuad Sharef Suleman and his family push their belongings after returning to Iraq from Egypt

Americans fought for an Iraqi family turned back by Trump's order — and won

A 19-year-old Iraqi Kurd and his family were prevented from coming to the US by President Donald Trump's immigration order. Now they are cleared for entry, and as the family regroups, friends and strangers in America are rallying to their support.

Americans fought for an Iraqi family turned back by Trump's order — and won
Daniel Libeskind

The Kurds have no country of their own and their story is largely untold. A planned museum in Erbil aims to change that.

Without a nation of their own, the Kurds have been fighting oppression for centuries, all the way to the present day. In fact, Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers are key forces right now in the battle against ISIS. But Kurdish history — a story of persecution, war and resilience — is largely untold. A new museum would help change that.

The Kurds have no country of their own and their story is largely untold. A planned museum in Erbil aims to change that.
For two years, Ismail al-Kanon and his mother, Jandar Nasi, were captives of ISIS. More than most living under the terror group’s rule, they had reason to expect that they would never escape — because they were Iraqi Christians.

How an Iraqi Christian teenager survived two years in the heart of the ISIS 'caliphate'

For two years, Ismail al-Kanon and his mother, Jandar Nasi, were captives of ISIS. More than most living under the terror group’s rule, they had reason to expect that they would never escape — because they were Iraqi Christians. Here is the story of how they kept their faith, survived and escaped.

How an Iraqi Christian teenager survived two years in the heart of the ISIS 'caliphate'
The elite oil and gas unit of the peshmerga near Kirkuk

The curse of oil in Iraqi Kurdistan

A region once held up by the US as a beacon of hope in a broken Iraq, Kurdistan has instead —  in oil’s name — fallen victim to corruption and war.

The curse of oil in Iraqi Kurdistan
A woman and her child, having fled Qayyarah, arrive at a front line position.

Life under ISIS is 'endlessly frightening and endlessly tedious'

Fear and boredom are front and center in territory held by ISIS extremists in Iraq.

Life under ISIS is 'endlessly frightening and endlessly tedious'
Residents of Erbil buy groceries in a local market.

Just 60 miles from ISIS, youth bowl, swim, see George Clooney in 'Tomorrowland'

ISIS-controlled Mosul is just two hours away from the Iraqi city of Erbil. But youth in the Kurdish capital aren't cowering. Instead they are swimming, bowling and enjoying new movies and Chinese restaurants.

Just 60 miles from ISIS, youth bowl, swim, see George Clooney in 'Tomorrowland'
Mohammed Jamil lived across the street from Iman Shawan, who left the Kurdish community to join ISIS.

Kurdish men are joining ISIS to kill their own people

Hundreds of Kurds have crossed the front lines to join ISIS, essentially joining the fight against their own people. It’s shocking to many in the Kurdish semi-autonomous region of the Iraq, but government-paid preachers may have a hand in the phenomenon.

Kurdish men are joining ISIS to kill their own people
Raid Latif has been making the Erbil-Baghdad trip for nearly five years. One one trip, he says he saw a car full of Iraqi security forces executed by ISIS fighters on the side of the road.

Iraq's Baghad-to-Erbil route is a lifeline, but still a dangerous one

After ISIS seized control of Mosul this past summer, it's become much more dangerous for Iraqis to travel between cities. But some taxi drivers continue to drive the dangerous Baghdad-to-Erbil road because they say "it's their job."

Iraq's Baghad-to-Erbil route is a lifeline, but still a dangerous one
The main atrium of this would-be mall is now home to hundreds of Iraqis from villages outside Mosul. Here the concrete floors and walls give families more protection than the displaced families living in tents in a public park just across the street.

Erbil's abandoned construction sites are a 'saving grace' for refugees

Just a few months ago, Erbil — the de-facto capital of Iraq’s northern Kurdish region — was riding high on an economic oil and gas boom. That all came to a halt when ISIS militants took over nearby Mosul. Now those half-finished buildings are home to displaced Iraqi families.

Erbil's abandoned construction sites are a 'saving grace' for refugees