northern Iraq

Iraqi army helicopter takes off at a base in Sinjar, Iraq, Tuesday, May 3, 2022. 

Iraq's Yazidis stuck in 'tug-of-war' between regional armed groups

Recent fighting between the Iraqi army and a local militia in heavily populated civilian areas has led to the displacement of an estimated 10,000 people. 

Iraq's Yazidis stuck in 'tug-of-war' between regional armed groups
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
Children play with a kite at a shelter for displaced Yazidis on Mount Sinjar, northern Iraq.

Years after US Iraq intervention, Yazidis are still seeking safety on a mountain

Years after US Iraq intervention, Yazidis are still seeking safety on a mountain
Ibrahim Noel reopened his liquor store in Qaraqosh, northern Iraq, after he said ISIS demolished it.

An Iraqi liquor store has quietly reopened after ISIS

An Iraqi liquor store has quietly reopened after ISIS
Policemen who fled Mosul train in a camp near Erbil to try to take their city back from ISIS.

The men who ran from ISIS in Mosul say they're ready to take the city back

The men who ran from ISIS in Mosul say they're ready to take the city back
Displaced women from the minority Yezidi sect. ISIS is increasingly subjecting women to rape, as well as forced conversions and marriage.

Some Yazidi women who have escaped ISIS barbarism aren't hopeful for their futures

Figures suggest that thousands of Iraqi women from the minority Yazidi sect are being subjected to rape, forced conversions and forced marriages by the militant group ISIS. But even those who have escaped the violence have uncertain futures.

Some Yazidi women who have escaped ISIS barbarism aren't hopeful for their futures
“Long live the Iraqi army,” tattooed on Sirgon Horomes’ arm. He says now he’s disappointed the army did not protect him and other Christians.

Thousands of young Christian Iraqis have joined the fight against ISIS — but few have faith it will help

In recent months, Iraqi Christians have been displaced by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Christian leaders in northern Iraq are calling upon young Christian men fight alongside the Peshmerga and Iraqi army against ISIS. While thousands are heeding the call, most remain skeptical.

Thousands of young Christian Iraqis have joined the fight against ISIS — but few have faith it will help
oil tanker United Kalavyrta

A ship full of Kurdish oil remains trapped at sea off the coast of Texas

An oil tanker is sitting 60 miles off the Texas coast, trapped at sea with one million barrels of crude oil from Kurdish Iraq. It's worth $100 million, but Baghdad and the government of the country's autonomous Kurdish region can't agree on who's allowed to sell it.

A ship full of Kurdish oil remains trapped at sea off the coast of Texas
Kurdish Peshmerga forces, Makhmur.

Kurds in northern Iraq now suspect their Arab neighbors of siding with ISIS

As Kurdish forces repel the militant group ISIS from areas in the north of Iraq, some believe they're also using the moment to push Arabs out of the villages where the groups have lived together for decades.

Kurds in northern Iraq now suspect their Arab neighbors of siding with ISIS
A girl from the minority Yazidi sect, fleeing the violence in the Iraqi town of Sinjar, rests at the Iraqi-Syrian border crossing in Fishkhabour, Dohuk province August 13, 2014.

The US says the crisis for Yazidis in Iraq is over — but the UN disagrees

Earlier this week, the US considered the possibility of sending American troops to rescue members of the Yazidi minority trapped by ISIS militants on Mount Sinjar in Iraq. Now, President Obama says the crisis has passed ... but others aren't so sure. And if you think women's rights are relatively new, guess again. And we explain why Ferguson, Missouri seems like a war zone, in today's Global Scan.

The US says the crisis for Yazidis in Iraq is over — but the UN disagrees
A US Coast Guard image of the oil tanker United Kalavyrta, which is carrying a cargo of Kurdish crude oil, approaching Galveston, Texas on July 25.

A mystery oil tanker is anchored in limbo outside of Houston

An oil tanker sitting 60 miles off the coast of Texas holds $100 million worth of crude oil. But for now, no one knows who's allowed to sell it, who the buyer is or even where the oil will eventually go.

A mystery oil tanker is anchored in limbo outside of Houston
Mehdi Army fighters loyal to Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr march during a military-style training in the holy city of Najaf, June 16, 2014.

Sunni Muslims in Iraq are caught between violent militants and violent government troops

The Sunni militants who've rampaged through parts of Iraq have reportedly executed many Shiites in Iraq's army. In territories conquered by the militants, Sunnis wonder if they will be the ones to suffer for this violence if Iraq's army recaptures their towns.

Sunni Muslims in Iraq are caught between violent militants and violent government troops

Turkish government wants Syrian intervention, though most Turks oppose

Turkey has been on the front lines since the beginning of Syria's civil war more than two years ago. Now, the country's government is urging the U.S. and other nations to get militarily involved -- though its having a tough time selling that message at home.

Turkish government wants Syrian intervention, though most Turks oppose

Israel wants to tie peace with Palestinians to reparations for Middle Eastern Jews who fled to Israel

There's movement, slight, to restart the stalled Israel-Palestinian peace process. But Israel wants to introduce a new element to the discussion. They're seeking compensation for Middle Eastern Jews forced from their homelands, in exchange for compensation for Palestinian refugees.

Israel wants to tie peace with Palestinians to reparations for Middle Eastern Jews who fled to Israel

As Iraqi political crisis deepens, Kurds see role as kingmaker

Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi barely communicate with each other. The former is seeking the arrest of the latter, accusing him of running a death squad. Now, the Iraqi Kurdish population is in a position to determine the course the country's government takes.

As Iraqi political crisis deepens, Kurds see role as kingmaker