A Ghanaian woman named Juliet is seeking help from the public to escape her current situation.
Juliet, originally from Tanoso in the Ashanti Region, explained that she was promised a job as a hotel cleaner in Iraq by an agent.
However, upon arrival, she was forced to work as a domestic cleaner in private homes, despite her strong objections.
When she requested to return to Ghana, she was informed that she needed to pay $3,000 plus the cost of her plane ticket.
Unable to afford this amount, Juliet remains stranded in Baghdad, Iraq.
In a video she shared online, she described how she has been mistreated by her employers due to her inability to fulfill the duties of a domestic cleaner.
A young Ghanaian woman named Juliet Dwumor, from Abuakwa-Tanoso in the Ashanti Region, is currently stuck in Baghdad, Iraq's capital city, and she is seeking help from Ghanaians and the government for evacuation.
“… When I was coming to Baghdad in Iraq, the agent told me I was coming to work as a cleaner in a hotel. I accepted because I knew I could work as a hotel cleaner. I subsequently informed him that I did not want to work as a domestic cleaner and he assured me.
“When I got to Iraq, I was told there is no hotel cleaning job but a domestic cleaning job. I then told them to send me back and they told me to pay $3,000 along with the cost of my ticket.
“I told them I had no money. I was taken to a house where I was maltreated so I ran to the office to complain. My employers angrily stormed the office to ask why I had left.
I can no longer do the job and I even struggle to wake up from bed most times as I keep having sleepless nights,” she narrated.
Juliet, who was crying while recording the video, called on Ghanaians to come to her rescue, saying “I really need help to leave this place because I am suffering.”
Matthew Miller, who speaks for the US State Department, said that the new law in Iraq could harm the people who are in the most danger and limit people’s ability to speak freely. He also said it could scare off businesses from investing in Iraq.
“Global business groups say that discrimination in Iraq will hurt the country’s economy and business growth,” the statement said.
The British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said the law is “dangerous and worrying. ”
In Iraq, being gay is not accepted in society, and political leaders have worked against LGBTQ+ rights. But there was no specific law in Iraq that made being gay a crime.
The law was passed on Saturday as a small change to the country’s current law against prostitution. Being with someone of the same gender can get you 10 to 15 years in prison. Also, if you change your gender or act in a feminine way, you could be put in jail for one to three years.
It also stops any group that supports “sexual deviancy,” with a punishment of at least seven years in prison and a fine of no less than 10 million dinars (about $7,600).
The first version of the law against prostitution, which didn’t pass, said that people could be killed for being in a same-sex relationship.
The speaker of the Iraqi parliament, Mohsen Al-Mandalawi, said in a statement that the vote was important to protect the values of society and children from immoral behavior and homosexuality.
Rasha Younes, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, said that the law in Iraq approves of the mistreatment of LGBT people and violates their human rights, like freedom of speech and equality.
In 2022, a report said that in Iraq, armed groups have been kidnapping, raping, hurting, and killing LGBT people without punishment. It also said that the government in Iraq has not been making sure that the people who do these bad things are punished.
A bunch of Iraqi officials said they want to kick out the US Ambassador Alina Romanowski because they think she’s getting involved in their country’s business. This comes after she criticized some of their laws.
Iraqi people interviewed on Sunday shared different opinions.
Ahmed Mansour from Baghdad said he likes the law because it follows the Quran and Islamic religion by completely banning this topic because of religious beliefs.
Hudhayfah Ali, who lives in Baghdad, said he is against it because Iraq has many different groups of people who believe in different religions.
“He said, how can a law go against democracy and personal freedom in a democratic country like Iraq. “
The last time Iranian-backed groups in Iraq attacked US troops was in early February. This recent attack is the first one since then.
The attack happened one day after the Iraqi Prime Minister came back from visiting the United States and meeting with the US President at the White House.
Two people who work in security and a senior army officer said that a small truck with a rocket launcher on it was left in Zummar, a town near the border with Syria.
The army person said that the truck caught on fire and exploded because there were rockets inside. At the same time, there were warplanes flying in the sky.
Iraqi police went to the area and started looking for the people who did the crime. The criminals ran away in a different car. This was said by a security officer in Zummar town.
The Iraqi Security Media Cell, a group in charge of sharing security information, said that Iraqi forces have started a big operation to find and check the people responsible for a crime near the Syrian border. They promise to make sure those responsible are punished.
A soldier said they took the truck to look at it some more. A first look shows that it was destroyed by a bomb dropped from a plane.
“We are talking to the coalition forces in Iraq to give them information about this attack,” the officer said.
The attacks happened the day after a big explosion at a military base in Iraq. The explosion killed a member of the Iraqi security force, which includes groups supported by Iran. The leader of the army said there was an attack, but the army is still looking into it. They also said there were no planes flying at the time.
At first, militia officials said the explosion at the Kalsu military base was caused by an airstrike from US forces, but it was actually an accident at the base. The US Central Command said they did not do any air attacks in Iraq.
The PMF said on Saturday afternoon that there was a blast, but didn’t say who caused it.
The Iraqi Security Media Cell said that they did not find any drones or fighter planes in the airspace of Babylon before or during the explosion. One member of PMF died and eight people were hurt, including an Iraqi army soldier.
Recently, some PMF member groups attacked US forces in Iraq and Syria. They did this because they were upset with the US supporting Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza. The attacks stopped in January after three American soldiers were killed in a strike on a base in Jordan near Syria. This made the US retaliate with strikes in Iraq.
The explosion at the PMF base happened the day after it was believed that Israel attacked Iran. A group of militias supported by Iran, called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, said they used a drone to attack the Israeli town of Eilat. They did this because they believe Israel targeted their camps, which they see as a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty.
Iraq’s army said there were no drones or fighter planes in the area before or during the explosion, and the US said it was not responsible.
At the same time, the militia called the Popular Mobilisation Forces, said they were responsible for the attack. The news comes at a time when Israel and Iran are having more problems with each other.
The fight between the two enemy countries has entered a new stage. It’s believed that Israel attacked near the Iranian city of Isfahan on Friday morning.
The attack was a reaction to a big drone and missile attack that Tehran did on Israel six days ago.
Iran took action because they were upset about an attack on their military leaders in Syria. Many people think Israel was responsible for the attack.
The boom at Kalso military base, around 50 km (30 miles) south of Baghdad, happened early on Saturday morning, according to the military.
The Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) was using it. It is a group of paramilitaries mostly made up of Shia Muslim militias supported by Iran.
One person from the PMF died in the explosion and eight others were injured.
The PMF said its top assistant, Abdul Aziz al-Mohammedawi, went to the base to check on what investigators had discovered.
The Iraq army is checking what caused the blast and fire at the base.
“The air defence command report used technology and radar to check, and it found that there were no drones or fighter jets in the sky over Babil before or during the explosion,” a statement said.
The US military’s Central Command said that the reports about US airstrikes in Iraq were not true. They posted this on X, which used to be called Twitter.
“Right now, Iran and the United States are very tense with each other,” he said.
I want both groups to stop attacking each other. He said they won’t solve their problem in Iraq. “We spent a lot of money. ”
In the last week, the price involved US air strikes that killed 17 fighters from Iranian-supported armed groups. Later, a powerful missile hit a militia commander, Abu Bakir Al Saadi, and his jeep exploded in flames on a street where people live in Baghdad. The government here criticized the attack, calling it a clear assassination without concern for civilian lives or international law. They were shocked that this came from an ally.
The minister said they need to start talking again about bringing home 2,500 US troops who have been here as advisors since 2014 to stop the Islamic State from coming back. People are saying that they have been in charge for too long, both in the government and in the community.
Most Iraqis don’t want foreign soldiers in Iraq. We will talk with the Americans who have been invited and work things out. Those who were not invited should go, and we hope they will leave through talking things out.
The people who were not invited, especially by him, are strong groups from Iran who support them and have been attacking US soldiers here. Many people are part of Iraq’s security forces. Critics say they are working for Iran as soldiers.
The minister says that the militias are now being faced with challenges, which is different from before when speaking out would lead to threats. This is a new time in Iraq.
“He said that many political leaders are now starting to talk about this. ” “Many people were too afraid to talk about it. ” This is also a part of what really happens in this country. But now we are discussing it. People tell those guys, “stop it. ”
He said the militias know that if they keep fighting, they will start a war in our country that is not our fight. He also got the message in Tehran, he says.
“Do they need to listen to Tehran. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don’t,” he says. “It could change. The Iranians say, “this is the least we will accept, and this is the most we will tolerate. ” They usually come together, but sometimes they move apart. “It’s not so clear-cut. ”
The influence of Iran is very strong here: in politics, in militias, and in the streets. Among the walls and trees, there are posters of Qasem Soleimani, a high-ranking Iranian leader who was killed in a US airstrike at Baghdad airport in January 2020. Here and there, in traffic congestion, you can see the face of Iran’s top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Some of the tuk-tuk taxis driving loudly around Tahrir Square in the afternoon sun have pictures of Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, who leads Hezbollah, a strong military group in Lebanon supported by Iran.
I asked the minister from another country if he was concerned about how much influence Iran has here. “I’m concerned about the impact of everything around us, not just from Iran. ” We want to remove all these influences. The choice about Iraq needs to be made in Baghdad by the people who live there.
Right now, the country is stuck between fighting with two of its friends: Iran and the US. Neither of them wants their conflict to get much worse, and it seems like they don’t, but it could still happen.
Iranian-supported armed groups in this area have promised to increase their attacks on US troops, following the death of the militia leader in Baghdad. “The Islamic Resistance of Iraq said that his killing broke all the rules of fighting. ” “We ask our fellow fighters to join us in resisting and removing the occupation. ”
The United Nations envoy for Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, says the situation is still very unpredictable. “Iraq and the surrounding area are in a very tense and dangerous situation,” she says, “and even a small mistake could lead to a big conflict. “
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for the drone attack that killed three US troops in Jordan last Sunday.
Now, what is the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, and why is it targeting US bases in the Middle East?
This group surfaced in late 2023, following the commencement of Israel’s bombardment in Gaza in response to Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7.
Comprising several Iran-affiliated militias operating in Iraq, it has also asserted responsibility for other recent attacks against US forces.
The term “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” is thought to encompass various Shia militia groups like Kataib Hezbollah, Nujaba, and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, all with a history of targeting US bases in Iraq and Syria.
Tehran categorizes its networks of proxies and allied groups in the region as the “axis of resistance,” serving as a form of forward defense against its enemies.
Creating these ghost groups aims to complicate Washington’s efforts to attribute attacks to specific culprits.
The US has given the okay for a bunch of attacks on Iranian targets in Syria and Iraq, according to officials who talked to the media. Officials say that the strikes will happen over a few days, and the weather will decide when they will happen.
A drone attack killed three US soldiers near the Syrian border in Jordan on Sunday.
The US said that a group backed by Iran was responsible for the attack.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, made up of several armed groups supported by Iran, has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Iran said they did not hurt 41 US soldiers at the military base.
US officials have promised to do something about the drone attack, but President Joe Biden and other officials said the country does not want to start a big war with Iran.
Several groups supported by Iran have been launching more attacks on American and Israeli-related targets since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on 7 October.
According to a US defense official speaking to CBS, a drone was shot down in the Gulf of Aden and an unmanned sea drone was hit and destroyed in the Red Sea overnight.
The three soldiers who died in the attack will be brought back to the United States and taken to a Air Force base in Delaware on Friday. The White House said that President Biden will go.
Today, we are mostly concerned about the violence in Yemen and Gaza, but there is also fighting happening in other nearby areas, even though it is not connected.
After nine of its soldiers were killed at an Iraqi military post, Turkey’s defense ministry says it launched airstrikes on “terrorist targets” in Syria and Iraq all night.
The report says that the attacks targeted 29 places like caves, bunkers, and oil sites that belonged to two groups the YPG and PKK which Turkey thinks are terrorist groups.
Turkey has been fighting a long war against the PKK, a group seen as terrorists by many Western countries, like the US and the UK.
The bride, Haneen, and groom, Revan Esho, were thought to have passed away but are now getting medical care at a hospital in Erbil after the fire. They are in a very bad mental state.
The fire started one hour into the event when fireworks were pointed at the ceiling while the bride and groom were dancing.
A video supposedly showed Haneen getting really scared and shocked when she saw flames burning the walls and the roof collapsing.
The couple quickly ran away to save themselves and got out through the kitchen door, as mentioned by media broadcaster Rudaw.
Other guests who were hurt have been moved to different hospitals in cities like Erbil, Mosul, and Duhok to receive treatment.
A wedding hall in Iraq caught fire and over 100 people died. Hamdaniya, another name for Qaraqosh, was able to withstand the presence of ISIS, a terrorist group. A person attending a wedding in the area expressed that the unfortunate event at the wedding was more painful for them than the harm caused by ISIS.
This wasn’t a wedding. Guest Mariam Khedr said it was a terrible experience while waiting at a morgue in Mosul to get the bodies of her daughter and three grandchildren, including a baby who was only eight months old.
Someone else said, “I’m very sad because I lost my daughter, her husband, and their three-year-old child. ” Everything got destroyed by fire. My heart feels very hot and painful.
The police arrested 14 people, including the owners of the events hall. The government will investigate the incident quickly and will announce the findings within 72 hours.
The father of the groom said that he thinks the person who owns the hall is the one who caused the fire. He told this to CNN.
The government has told people to quickly check places where many people gather, like hotels, schools, and hospitals. Three people at the wedding thought that the hall was not prepared for emergencies because they couldn’t see any fire extinguishers and there were only a few ways to exit in case of a fire.
The early information suggests that the building had materials that catch fire easily, which caused it to fall down.
Imad Yohana, who is 34 years old, managed to run away from the fire. He explained, “We saw the fire moving and coming out of the hall. ” People who were able to escape got free, while those who couldn’t were trapped.
A priest at the Al-Tahira Church in Qaraqosh told people who were sad that Iraq is sad together, but he also criticized officials for being corrupt and showing favoritism.
The United States said it was prepared to discuss with the Iraqi government about providing help.
The Telegram messaging app has been blocked in Iraq, according to the country’s telecoms ministry, due to concerns about national security and to protect the integrity of customer data that the program allegedly managed improperly.
Iraqis frequently use the app for texting, news consumption, and content sharing.
A significant amount of personal information, including Iraqis’ names, addresses, and familial ties, may be found on some channels.
The ministry said in a statement it had asked the app to close down “platforms that leak the data of the official state institutions and the personal data of citizens… but the company did not respond and did not interact with any of these requests.”
“The Ministry of Communications affirms its respect for citizens’ rights to freedom of expression and communication, without prejudice to the security of the state and its institutions,” the statement said.
Telegram did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Dmitro Kuleba, the foreign minister for Ukraine, visited Iraq today for the first time since the war began in an effort to secure diplomatic backing.
To put an end to the conflict, Baghdad has demanded a cease-fire and offered to intervene between Ukraine and Russia.
However, Ukraine’s top diplomat stressed that his country would not participate in peace negotiations unless Russia withdrew from its territory. This travel to Iraq is the first by a Ukrainian foreign minister in 11 years.
Baghdad “has experience in communication with countries that have tension between them” and “is ready to be in service of peace,” Iraq’s foreign minister Fuad Hussein said at a joint news conference in Baghdad.
But Mr Kuleba said while Ukraine sees Iraq as “a country that is capable of building bridges”, it was important to note that “Ukraine wants peace and Russia wants war”.
On Sunday, Russia defeated Iraq 2-0 in their first home match since the former’s invasion of Ukraine.
FIFA and UEFA, the regional and international governing organizations of football, declared in February 2022 that Russia’s national and club teams would be barred from participating in their leagues.
Since then, Russia has played friendlies against Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, but they haven’t played at home since November 2021.
Early in the second half versus Iran at the Gazprom Arena, Anton Miranchuk gave Russia the lead, and shortly before the hour, Sergey Pinyaev scored a second.
The Champions League final was scheduled to take place in Saint Petersburg last year, but due to Russia’s military actions, it was moved to the Parc des Princes in Paris.
For the first time in six years, UN Secretary-General António Guterres is visiting Iraq to show his support for the populace, the new administration, and its ambitious reform plan.
After touching down in Baghdad late on Tuesday, he told journalists “I am here in a visit of solidarity to underscore the commitment of the United Nations to support Iraq in the consolidation of its democratic institutions and advancing peace, sustainable development and human rights for all Iraqis.”
After “decades of oppression, war, terrorism, sectarianism and foreign interference” in Iraq’s affairs – just days ahead of the 20th anniversary of the 2003 invasion – Mr. Guterres acknowledged that the challenges the country faces could not be brushed aside.
And amid reports that Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani continues to face potential political obstacles in reviving national fortunes, the UN chief, in a joint press encounter with Mr. Al-Sudani, expressed his hope that Iraq “can break cycles of instability and fragility”.
He added: “I applaud the Prime Minister for his commitment to address the most pressing challenges facing the country head on – including combatting corruption, improving public services, and diversifying the economy to reduce unemployment and create opportunities, especially for young people.
“Such structural change requires systemic reform, stronger institutions, greater accountability and better governance at all levels – and the United Nations stands ready to support these important efforts.”
Referencing reported divisions over the sharing of Iraqi oil revenues between central government in the capital and provincial government in the north, Mr. Guterres encouraged all parties to build on “recent positive steps” between Baghdad and Erbil. “Sustainable agreements” and dialogue should be the long-term objective the UN Secretary-General said.
UNAMI/Sarmad Al-Safy UN Secretary-General António Guterres meets Iraq’s Minister of Foreign Affairs on his arrival in Baghdad, Iraq.
Dignity of Iraq’s displaced
In earlier comments just after touching down, Mr. Guterres also spoke of his “enormous admiration” for the Iraqi people, highlighting how he had witnessed the courage of those displaced inside the country several times, on previous visits.
The UN Secretary-General also highlighted how Iraqi refugees in Jordan and in Syria had shown that they were able “to live in solidarity with each other, to help each other in the spirit that, in my opinion, is the best hope for the future of the country”.
Iraq’s efforts to repatriate its citizens from northeast Syria – including from the infamous Al Hol camp – had been “exemplary”, Mr. Guterres said, before noting Prime Minister Al-Sudani’s commitment to allowing the safe and dignified return of ethnic Yazidis to their homes in northern Iraq, after suffering genocide at the hands of Daesh in 2014.
Water emergency
Addressing another key challenge for Iraq, namely water scarcity, Mr. Guterres noted that the issue required international attention, before flagging the UN 2023 Water Conference from 22-24 March in New York.
The mighty Tigris and the Euphrates rivers were now running dry and the impact on agriculture has been dramatic, the UN chief said, adding that “it breaks my heart” to see farmers who have been forced to abandon lands where crops have been grown for thousands of years.
Iraq is one of the countries worst hit by climate change, which has driven displacement, threatened food security, destroyed livelihoods, fuelled conflict and undermined human rights, Mr. Guterres maintained.
When coupled with a volatile security situation and governance challenges, “it can put stability at risk… so now is the time for the international community to support Iraq in tackling its environmental challenges, diversifying its economy, and harnessing its potential for sustainable growth,” the Secretary-General insisted.
UNAMI
Secretary-General António Guterres meets with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) at UNAMI Headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq.
Then and now
Later in the day, the UN chief held a press conference where he contrasted his visit six years ago amidst the existential threat posed by the war against terrorist group Da’esh, or ISIL, with Iraq now.
His visit then was “one of solidarity in a moment of urgency. Today it is a visit of solidarity and hope for the future of Iraq. With a new Government in place, there is a window of opportunity for progress”, he said.
The Secretary-General on Wednesday also heard from representatives from women’s groups and youth, who voiced their views on the need for further opening up of civic spaces and expressed concern over unemployment and climate change.
He noted with interest, the increasing awareness of climate change issues both from the Government side and among civil society. He encouraged activists and civil society groups to mobilize and lobby authorities for further action on adaptation and climate resilience.
UN teams
The Secretary-General also held a townhall meeting with UN personnel based in Iraq, including the assistance mission UNAMI, the Country Team and the UN Investigative Team bring Da’esh terrorists to account (UNITAD).
He also visited the National Museum of Iraq, where he voiced appreciation for the immense contribution made by Iraq to world history.
“The contribution of Iraq to world civilization, to world culture, is absolutely outstanding”, he said reflecting on the fact that the Abbasid Caliphate flourished, while Europe was still a “barbarian area”.
“So, I’m here to pay tribute to all those that are working in this museum, preserving it in the difficult times that Iraq has faced some years ago, which allow us to be able to contemplate the magnificent culture and history of this wonderful country.”
Heading north
On Thursday, the Secretary-General is due to visit a camp for displaced people in the northern part of Iraq.
He plans to meet residents and have a first-hand look at the work that UN agencies are doing there, serving those forced to leave their homes. In the afternoon he will head to Erbil and meet various officials from the Kurdistan Regional Government.
Days after a YouTuber was strangled to death by her father in an incident that sparked outrage, Iraqis are protesting to call for a law against domestic violence.
According to Interior Ministry spokesman Saad Maan, Tiba al-Ali, 22, was killed by her father on January 31 in the southern province of Diwaniyah. He added that there had been an attempt to mediate between the young woman and her family to resolve a “family dispute.”
Later, the father turned himself in to the police and admitted killing his daughter.
On Sunday, security forces prevented dozens of people from demonstrating outside the country’s Supreme Judicial Council, and they gathered instead at a road leading to the building.
Some held placards saying “Stop killing women” and “Tiba’s killer must be held to account”.
“We demand laws to protect women, especially laws against domestic violence,” protester Rose Hamid, 22, said. “We came here to protest against Tiba’s murder and against all others. Who will be the next victim?”
Another demonstrator, Lina Ali, said: “We will keep mobilising because of rising domestic violence and killings of women.”
Protester Israa al-Salman, who wanted al-Ali’s father executed for the crime, said, “Anyone who wants to get rid of a woman accuses her of disgracing her dignity and kills her.”
To date, no law in Iraq criminalises domestic violence. A draft domestic violence law was first introduced to parliament in 2014, but progress has stalled amid widespread political opposition from legislators who believe it would “erode Iraq’s social fabric”.
#طيبة_العلي Dozens of women organized a protest this morning in front of the Supreme Judicial Council against laws that offend women and honor killings. pic.twitter.com/Ac4l2vtCbP
On the sidelines of Sunday’s demonstration, human rights activist Hanaa Edwar was received by a magistrate from the Supreme Judicial Council to whom she presented the protesters’ grievances.
The United Nations mission in Iraq in a statement condemned al-Ali’s “abhorrent killing” and called on the Baghdad government to enact “a law that explicitly criminalises gender-based violence”.
Article 41 of the country’s penal code allows husbands to “discipline” their wives, which includes beatings. Meanwhile, Article 409 reduces murder sentences for men who kill or permanently impair their wives or female relatives because of adultery to up to three years in prison.
Iraqi women’s rights activists lift placards during a rally near the Supreme Judicial Council in Baghdad, Iraq [Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP]
Long struggle
Al-Ali had lived in Turkey since 2017 and was visiting Iraq when she was killed. In Turkey, she had gained a following on YouTube, posting videos of her daily life in which her fiance often appeared.
Recordings have been shared on social media by a friend of al-Ali and picked up by activists, reportedly of conversations with her father, who was angry because she was living in Turkey. In the recordings, she also accuses her brother of sexual assault.
Al Jazeera could not independently verify the authenticity of the voice recordings.
The Palm Trunk Stadium stampede in Basra resulted in two fatalities and about 80 injuries, according to the Iraqi Interior Ministry.
Before the game even started, the Iraqi Football Federation reported that about 90% of the tickets had already been sold. Many Iraqi football fans, especially those who had traveled from other provinces, were incensed by that, according to Abdelwahed.
The final tournament match between Iraq and Oman attracted fans from all over the Gulf, further taxing Basra’s already overburdened infrastructure.
Decades of sanctions and political instability in Iraq had prevented the country from hosting any sport activities. “Authorities say we are lucky to host such special event, but the city is not as prepared as it should be,” Abdelwahed said.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has arrived in Basra for an urgent meeting with officials.
The final between Iraq and Oman is likely to be postponed if the casualties at Basra’s stadium are confirmed, Al Jazeera’s Samer Youssef has reported.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is holding urgent meetings in the southern city ahead of the game. According to government sources, the match may be postponed or transferred to another neutral country if casualties are confirmed.
Youssef said the interior ministry had issued warnings ahead of the game, calling on non-ticket holders to avoid heading to the stadium.
Journalist Ismael Adnan, reporting from near the stadium, described the situation around Basra’s international stadium as “very chaotic”.
Al Jazeera’s Samer Yousef said videos filmed inside the stadium showed the facility at capacity, with security personnel asking the crowd to retreat.
He said it remained unclear if the final would go ahead.
Much has been written about the changing role of the United States as a global power. President Joe Biden and his administration have made repeated statements about reclaiming the US position as leader of the “free world” and promoter of democracy. This has come amid growing authoritarian trends across the globe, in part due to the increased influence of countries like Russia and China.
But one facet of American foreign policy and grand strategy seems to remain unaffected by this renewed effort to promote democracy: the US approach towards the Arab world.
The Biden administration seems to be just as lukewarm about democracy in the region as its predecessors. Although it has emphasised the importance of democracy to its foreign policy, it has essentially refused to hold human rights violators in the Middle East accountable – even when this affects American citizens.
Moreover, on the question of Palestine, another issue of importance to Arab nations which is directly related to democracy, the Biden administration has not changed track either. It continues to back the Israeli government, its occupation and apartheid, and its regional policies which undermine local democratic movements. Worse still, despite being critical of the Trump administration, Biden appears to be an enthusiastic supporter of its disastrous concessions to Israel.
The US embassy in Jerusalem remains and will continue to expand on stolen Palestinian land. The statements of “deep concern” over each new display of Israeli fascism at this point do nothing more than evoke expected derision. Most importantly, the US continues to push for an expansion of the Abraham Accords, despite the fact that it is perfectly clear they are nothing more than an authoritarian alliance.
The Middle Eastern exception to the American democracy-promotion strategy remains, and there seems to be little appetite among American decision-makers to apply the same ideas of sustainable global order to this troubled region.
This does not go unnoticed in the Arab world itself. Rulers now fully understand the limitations of heavily relying on their partnership with the US. In Washington, there was much consternation and rending of garments when Saudi Arabia demonstrated alignment with China on a variety of policy issues. Israeli politicians have also expressed their interest in better relations with Moscow, in spite of American kowtowing on the issue of Palestine.
Citizens of the region are also aware of the failed American strategy and blatant hypocrisy. They do not believe that the US is a bulwark against authoritarian forces. That much is apparent from the results of the eighth Arab Opinion Index conducted by the Arab Center Washington DC in 14 Arab countries.
According to the survey report, released earlier this month, the percentage of Arabs who think democracy is the best system of governance for their countries has grown from 67 percent in 2011 to 72 percent in 2022. But that does not mean that they see a role for the US in helping the region achieve democratic development.
Some 78 percent consider the US the biggest source of threat and instability in the region. By contrast, 57 percent think of Iran in these terms and 57 percent of Russia. This is despite the Iranian-backed crackdown on the Tishreen Revolution in Iraq in 2019-20 and its destabilising role across the region and the Russian bombardment of civilians in Syria over the past seven years.
American policymakers should consider what these numbers imply. The US’s reputation is so bad and so synonymous with hypocrisy that Arab respondents view actors like Iran and Russia as less threatening. But what is worse, perhaps, is how these views have become cemented across generations of Arab citizens.
Those who witnessed or participated in the Arab Spring have internalised disappointment with the American position, which was pro-democracy in rhetoric only and in reality, was supportive of authoritarianism.
Now a new generation of Arabs, who have demonstrated their own capacity for political mobilisation, is adopting the same views. The US has maintained policies that are hostile to pro-democracy forces in the region, whether in supporting regimes that facilitate repression transnationally or backing Israeli oppression of the Palestinians.
The Arab world continues to be rife with conflict, Arab regimes are largely failing to provide basic services and guarantee rights, and Arab citizens understandably see no benefit to American leadership on the world stage. Such widespread attitudes may not only undermine American interests in the region, but also pose a risk to the broader international system.
As American legitimacy deteriorates, this leaves a vacuum for other powers – such as Russia and China – to advance their interests and their anti-democracy ideologies, both in the Arab world and across the globe. Moreover, the prospect of democracy becomes less attractive to nations when the primary advocate for such an idea worldwide, the US, is seen as hypocritical. And as democracy recedes, this bodes poorly for the level of violence, conflict, and instability we will see in the future.
The last 12 years of authoritarian diffusion, refugees, and sectarian conflict should have taught us that instability in the Arab world can reverberate across the globe. But the American establishment has continued to wash its hands clean of its role in the Middle East while trying to stabilise it on shaky premises – by enabling authoritarian regimes and practices and maintaining the status quo in the region’s worsening conflicts.
The results of the Arab Opinion Index should be a red flag for Washington: There must be no Middle Eastern exception to US policies on global security and prosperity.
DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author’s, and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani says foreign forces are still needed in a training capacity to combat ISIL(ISIL) in his first interview as an Iraqi leader.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani defended the presence of US troops in his country in his first interview since taking office in October, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The stance runs counter to that of several Iran-aligned groups that comprise the Shia-dominated Coordination Framework, the political bloc that nominated the prime minister last year. Al-Sudani was later appointed by President Abdul Latif Rashid, whose election ended a year-long political impasse fueled by scholar and political leader Muqtada al-Sadr.
In the interview published on Sunday, al-Sudani did not give a timeline for US and NATO forces – who are currently serving in a training capacity – to leave Iraq, despite calls from some political allies for a full withdrawal.
“We think that we need the foreign forces,” al-Sudani said. “Elimination of ISIS needs some more time.”
The US invaded Iraq in 2003 amid its global “war on terror”, with troop numbers reaching a peak of about 170,000 soldiers in 2007 before forces were withdrawn in 2011. They were redeployed to Iraq in 2014 in response to the rise of ISIL (ISIS), as the armed group overran a large swath of territory across Iraq and Syria.
However, combat operations largely fizzled in the wake of ISIL’s territorial defeat in 2019. Two years later, Washington officially ended the US-led combat mission in Iraq and transitioned to an advisory role assisting Iraqi forces. The US currently has about 2,000 troops stationed in the country, with NATO housing several hundred troops there, all in non-combat roles.
Meanwhile, rocket attacks launched by Iran-aligned armed groups on bases housing foreign troops and other foreign installations have remained relatively frequent.
In the interview published on Sunday, al-Sudani said there was no intention to resume foreign combat operations in the country, but noted foreign forces provide important logistical support in combatting ISIL pockets in Syria.
“Inside Iraq we do not need combat forces,” he told the newspaper. “If there is a threat for Iraq, it is the penetration of the [ISIL] cells through Syria,” he said.
His statements underlined the difficult tack the prime minister has sought in his dealings with the US and with Iran, which, beyond having substantial sway in domestic Iraqi politics, is also a key provider of natural gas and electricity to the country. The prime minister hailed Iran and Iraq’s close economic and security ties during a visit to Tehran in November.
He told the Wall Street Journal that he would like Iraq to have similar relations with Washington to those enjoyed by Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf oil and gas producers, adding that he planned to send a high-level delegation to Washington for talks with US officials next month in hopes of an eventual meeting with US President Joe Biden.
“I don’t see this as an impossible matter, to see Iraq have a good relationship with Iran and the US,” al-Sudani said.
An explosion and gunfire attack in northern Iraq claimed the lives of at least nine police officers.
On Sunday, the attack occurred close to the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, which is located about 290 kilometres (180 miles) from Baghdad.
The Islamic State organisation has taken ownership.
Three Iraqi soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb on Wednesday near Baghdad, and IS has already claimed responsibility for the attack.
According to officials speaking to AFP, the attack on Sunday started when a bomb targeted a truck carrying police close to the village of Chalal al-Matar.
After the explosion, there was “a direct attack with small arms.”
“An assailant has been killed and we are looking for the others,” the official added, saying that two policemen were also wounded in the attack.
An official from the Ministry of the Interior in Baghdad confirmed the attack.
IS once held 88,000 sq km (34,000 sq miles) of territory stretching from eastern Iraq to western Syria and imposed its brutal rule on almost eight million people.
But Iraqi forces declared victory over the Islamist group in December 2017, after its troops drove IS militants from the Syrian border zone where the Islamists’ final strongholds had been.
The group was driven from its last territory in 2019, but the UN warned in July that it remained a persistent threat.
It is estimated to have between 6,000 and 10,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq, who are based mostly in rural areas and continue to carry out hit-and-run attacks, ambushes and roadside bombings.
In its report, the UN observed that despite “significant leadership losses,” the group has been able to “exploit security gaps and conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism to recruit and to organise and execute complex attacks”.
In Iraq, an activist has been sentenced to three years in prison for allegedly insulting an Iran-backed paramilitary force in a tweet.
Haidar al-Zaidi, 20, was found guilty of “insulting state institutions” after making a post about Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the late deputy commander of the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF)
Zaidi denied writing the tweet and claimed that his account had been hacked.
Human Rights Watch termed Zaidi’s trial “”patently unfair.”
“Regardless of who posted the Twitter message, the Iraqi justice system should not be used to as a tool to suppress peaceful criticism of the authorities or armed actors,” said Adam Coogle, the campaign group’s deputy Middle East director.
“It is a sad reflection on the rule of law in Iraq that an activist like Zaidi gets three years in prison for a Twitter post he says he didn’t write while dozens of officials and armed groups enjoy impunity for killing activists and protesters.”
Zaidi was arrested in June in connection with a tweet that included a photograph of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and lamented how only in Iraq would a “spy” be given the label of “martyr”.
Muhandis was the leader of Kataib Hezbollah, a powerful Iran-backed Iraqi Shia Muslim militia designated by the US as a terrorist group.
He was also deputy commander of the PMF, an umbrella group of dozens of mainly Shia militias that is formally part of the Iraqi Security Forces but in practice operates independently and wields significant power.
In January 2020, Muhandis was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad alongside top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.
Many Iraqis mourned the two men as martyrs, but some celebrated their deaths.
Both Iran and its militia allies have been accused of being behind the killings of hundreds of protesters who took to Iraq’s streets in late 2019 to protest against deteriorating public services, high unemployment, and rampant corruption.
They have also been blamed for an assassination campaign against prominent activists critical of their influence.
Activists in Baghdad told Human Rights Watch that the PMF were responsible for Zaidi’s arrest and that a committee within the PMF filed the legal complaint against him.
Human rights activistSalman Khairallah said the sentence was a “clear message to activists that any criticism of authorities and the PMF will be punished”.
Turkey has launched air-raids on Kurdish targets in Iraq and Syria, a week after a bombing in Istanbul which it blames on Kurdish militants.
The raids – dubbed Operation Claw-Sword – struck Kurdish bases which were being used to launch attacks on Turkey, the defence ministry said.
A Syrian-Kurdish spokesperson said two villages populated with internally displaced people were hit.
The banned Kurdish PKK group denies carrying out the Istanbul attack.
As the air-raids began, the Turkish defence ministry tweeted that the “hour of reckoning” had arrived, alongside a picture of a fighter plane taking off and footage of an explosion.
Kurdish-led forces in Syria vowed to retaliate and said the city of Kobane was hit as well as two densely populated villages.
Unconfirmed reports say there are a number of casualties.
It is not clear which targets were hit in Iraq.
The raids come a week after a bombing on one of Istanbul’s busiest streets which killed six people and injured more than 80.
Turkish authorities blamed the bombing on the Kurdish militant group the PKK, which Turkey, the EU and US regard as a terrorist organisation.
However, the PKK said it would not “directly target civilians” and denied responsibility.
Authorities have arrested dozens of people in connection with the attack including a Syrian woman who they say planted the bomb.
Before the arrest, the Turkish justice minister said a bag had exploded near a bench after a woman sat there for forty minutes.
Five people have also been charged in Bulgaria over the attack, according to the AFP news agency.
Kurdish militants have been battling for decades to achieve Kurdish self-rule in south-east Turkey.
In recent years, Turkey has conducted a number of cross-border operations targeting Kurdish groups based in northern Iraq and Syria, aiming to prevent attacks on Turkish territory.
The explosion of a gas cylinderstarted a fire in a residential area, injuring dozens and destroying several houses and vehicles.
The death toll from a gas cylinder explosion in a residential area of Sulaimaniyah, northern Iraq, has risen to 15.
The explosion on Thursday, which caused a house to collapse, also injured 16 people.
According to Sulaimaniyah’s civil defence, the rescue operation to find the victims lasted 17 hours.Firefighters were able to put out the fire that erupted after a gas cylinder exploded in the second-largest city in northern Iraq’s Kurdish region.
“A total of 15 bodies have been pulled out from under the rubble,” said the head of civil defence in the city, Diyar Ibrahim, according to the official Iraqi News Agency.
Ibrahim said search operations continued into the early hours of Friday, adding that there were no more bodies under the rubble.
The city’s emergency response chief, Saman Nader, blamed the blast on “a gas leak from a tank”.
The search for victims trapped under the rubble lasted 17 hours, Sulaimaniyah’s civil defence said [Shwan Mohammed/AFP]
Police said the fire damaged several houses and destroyed at least five vehicles. It also said at least three houses were destroyed by the explosion.
A cooking gas cylinder was installed on the rooftop of one of the homes in the residential area.
The governor of Sulaimaniyah province, Haval Abubaker, announced three days of mourning earlier on Friday. He added that at least one child was among the victims.
Masrour Barzani, prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, has ordered an investigation.
Infrastructure tragedies are common in Iraq, which suffers from poorly enforced safety standards.
At the end of October, a gas tanker exploded in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, killing at least nine people and injuring several others, security forces said.
In April 2021, at least 82 people were killed and more than 100 injured in a fire that broke out in the coronavirus intensive care unitof a Baghdad hospital, when improperly stored oxygen cylinders exploded.
Mexico were posed very few problems by Iraq in their first World Cup warm-up game, winning 4-0 in Girona on Wednesday.
Although many countries have been unable line up pre-tournament friendlies due to the awkward timing of Qatar 2022, El Tri will travel to the Middle East with two games under their belts.
Their first may not have been particularly competitive, but it did the job in providing an opportunity to build sharpness and confidence ahead of the tournament, with Mexico dominant throughout.
The first half was especially one-sided, but Tata Martino’s men could only find the Iraq net once via Alexis Vega’s simple finish following fine work by Jesus Gallardo at the end of a rapid counter.
Mexico’s fortunes improved after the break, with Rogelio Funes Mori smashing into the roof of the net early in the second half, and it was 3-0 just past the hour – Gallardo unleashing an emphatic half-volley that gave the goalkeeper no chance.
The scoring was completed late on when a handball offence in the box led to a penalty, and Uriel Antuna coolly converted.
Mexico’s second and final pre-World Cup game is against Sweden on Wednesday, with El Tri then set to face Poland, Argentina and Saudi Arabia in Group C.
¡Se terminó el partido, nos quedamos con el triunfo en Girona! 👏🏼🇲🇽🔥
El marcador final es presentado por @BeGoMx_.
Security forceshave announced that at least nine people were killed and 13 were injured when a gas tanker exploded in the Iraqi capital.
A gas tanker exploded in Baghdad, Iraq’s capital, killing at least nine people and injuring several others, according to security forces.
On Saturday night, an explosion was heard across much of Baghdad near a football field in the city’s east, sending shrapnel into residential buildings and into the pitch.
“Nine civilians were killed and 13 injured” when the tanker exploded, the commander of security forces in Baghdad, Ahmad Salim, said in a statement.
“The explosion is an accident and not an act of terrorism,” he added.
Most of the victims were amateurs playing football in their neighbourhood stadium, the Reuters news agency reported.
Medical sources gave a higher casualty toll to the AFP news agency, with one saying 12 people had been killed.
An AFP correspondent said the windows of nearby buildings were blown out and vehicles in the area were damaged.
“We were at home and felt a very strong blast and a smell of gas,” resident Mohammed Aziz, who lives just 100 metres (330 feet) from the blast site, told AFP.
“It felt like we were suffocating,” he added. “Our doors and windows were blown out.”
Iraq’s recently-elected president, Abdul Latif Rashid, promised there would be an investigation to identify those responsible for the accident.
Safety standards in the transportand construction sector are frequently flouted in Iraq, and accidents are a common occurrence.
In April 2021, more than 80 people died in a hospital fire in Baghdad, after badly stored oxygen bottles exploded.
Iraqi Environment Minister Jassem al-Falahi has admitted that pollution from oil production is the primary cause of rising cancer rates in the country.
His remarks came after a BBC Arabic investigation discovered that communities near oil fields near Basra are at an increased risk of leukaemia.
These communities believe gas flaring is to blame, which is the “wasteful” burning of gas released during oil drilling.
Flaring produces cancer-linked pollutants like benzene.
The environment minister’s comments, made to the BBC’s HARDtalk programme, come despite a confidential order issued by the Iraqi prime minister – and seen by BBC Arabic – banning its employees from speaking about health damage caused by pollution.
They also directly contradict previous comments made to BBC Arabic, by the Minister of Oil, Ihsan Abdul-Jabbar Ismail, in which he denied all links between the cancer rates and air pollution from oil.
Communities living near oil fields in Basra have long suspected that their high rates of leukaemia are due to gases being flared on the oil fields.
Flared gases from these sites are dangerous because they emit a potent mix of carbon dioxide, methane, and black soot which is highly polluting.
As part of the original investigation, the BBC undertook the first pollution monitoring testing amongst the exposed communities. The results indicated high levels of exposure to cancer-causing chemicals.
During his interview with HARDtalk Arabic, Al-Falahi also revealed that the oil ministry had previously prevented his staff from carrying out pollution monitoring checks at the largest oil field, Rumaila.
Rumaila flares more gas than any other oil field in the world and is owned by the Iraqi government.
The BBC Arabic team was similarly denied entry permits to film at Rumaila during their investigation. Ali Hussein Julood, a 19-year-old childhood leukaemia survivor, from North Rumaila, said: “Here in Rumaila, nobody speaks out. They say they’re scared to speak in case they get removed.”
IMAGE SOURCE, JESS KELLY/BBC Image caption, Ali Hussein sought compensation on four separate occasions between 2020 and 2021 for the oil pollution
But Al-Falahi added that the situation has improved, and there is now greater cooperation between the ministries.
He said that the departments would work together to issue fines or commence lawsuits against any company, whether local or international if they had caused environmental damage.
None of the families that BBC Arabic spoke to during the investigation had received compensation for the health issues they suffered, despite multiple requests made to the oil companies who work at the sites.
Under Poisoned Skies
The deadly impact of the oil giants’ toxic air pollution on children and the planet is revealed in this BBC News Arabic investigation from the front line of climate change in Iraq.
A British headteacherwho groomed at least 131 children worldwide using social media while working at a school in Iraq has been jailed for 20 months.
Using Facebook Messenger, Nicholas Clayton, 38, of The Wirral, made contact with kids as young as 10 and requested their images with the intention of sexually abusing them.
He was apprehended after paying a 13-year-old Cambodian boy to come to Malaysia so they could meet and asking the boy for pictures of his bare upper torso.
When he returned to the UK, the National Crime Agency (NCA) detained him after receiving information about the communication.
Investigators found Clayton had been messaging hundreds of boys from across the globe, spanning the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Iraq, Morocco, Turkey and others over a period of just three months.
He appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on 23 August where he admitted three counts of sexual communication with a child under 16 years and one charge of inciting the sexual exploitation of a child.
On Tuesday, he was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment and made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for 15 years.
New Facebook plans will ‘hide similar predators’
The case has prompted fresh calls for a “robust” Online Safety Bill, with the NSPCC warning plans by Meta, which owns Facebook, to introduce end-to-end encryption will “blindfold” authorities to similar predators.
Andy Burrows, head of child safety online policy at the charity, said: “Clayton’s case highlights the ease with which offenders can contact large numbers of children on social media with the intention of grooming and sexually abusing them.
“Private messaging is the frontline of child sexual abuse online. It’s therefore concerning that Meta plans to press on with end-to-end encryption on Facebook Messenger, which will blindfold themselves and law enforcement from identifying criminals like Clayton.
“The UK government can show global leadership in tackling online child abuse by delivering without delay a robust Online Safety Bill that embeds child protection at the heart of every social media site.”
New Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan has previously said there are no plans to water down the proposals for new internet safety laws, which Mr Burrows welcomed as “really encouraging”.
Hazel Stewart, from the NCA, said: “Nicholas Clayton abused his position of trust as a headteacher by attempting to sexually contact and exploit children, using technology to access hundreds of potential victims across the globe.
“Clayton was very cautious and careful in his communications, making them appear to be innocent, but as NCA investigators we could see the patterns of predatory grooming he was using on vulnerable children.
“Protecting children from sex offenders is a priority for the NCA, and we continue to pursue criminals in the UK and internationally to ensure abusers like Clayton are held to account.”
Facebook ‘taking our time to get it right’
A Facebook spokesperson said: “We have no tolerance for child exploitation on our platforms and are building strong safety measures into our plans.
“We’re focused on preventing harm by banning suspicious profiles, defaulting under-18s to private or ‘friends only’ accounts, and more recently introduced restrictions that stop adults from messaging children they’re not connected with.
“We’re also encouraging people to report harmful messages to us so we can see the contents, respond swiftly and make referrals to the authorities. As we roll out this technology we’re taking our time to get it right and working with outside experts to help keep people safe online.”
After spending the entire night being interrogated by counter-terrorism police, the leader of the largest party in the now-disbanded Tunisian parliament has been freed by the authorities.
Rached Ghannouchi has been accused of complicity in smuggling jihadists to Syria and Iraq, charges he has denied.
According to his lawyer, he will again be questioned later on Wednesday.
His Ennadha party has denounced his interrogation and that of the former prime minister, Ali Laarayedh, as a flagrant violation of human rights.
The Tunisian president, Kais Saied, has brooked no opposition to his rule since dissolving parliament last year.
At least 15 people have been killed in clashes between Iraqi security forces and supporters of a powerful Shia cleric in the capital, Baghdad.
Officials say dozens more were injured after protesters loyal to Moqtada al-Sadr stormed the presidential palace.
The violence began after Mr Sadr announced his retirement from politics.
His bloc won most seats in parliament last October, but he has refused to negotiate with Iran-backed Shia groups to form a government.
There has been a year of political instability as a result.
Street fighting erupted overnight, as fighters exchanged gunfire and tracer rounds illuminated the night sky in some of the worst violence to hit the Iraqi capital in recent years.
Much of the fighting has been concentrated around the city’s Green Zone, an area that houses government buildings and foreign embassies. Dutch embassy staff were forced to move to the German mission due to the clashes.
Security officials said some of the violence was between the Peace Brigades, a militia loyal to Mr Sadr, and members of the Iraqi military. Videos shared on social media appeared to show some fighters using heavy weaponry, including rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs).
Iran has closed its borders with Iraq amidst the fighting, and Kuwait has urged its citizens to leave the country immediately.
Medics said 15 supporters of Mr Sadr had been shot dead and about 350 other protesters injured, according to AFP news agency.
A spokesperson for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was alarmed by events and called for “immediate steps to de-escalate the situation”.
And Mustafa al-Kadhimi, Iraq’s caretaker prime minister – and Sadr ally – has declared a nationwide curfew after unrest in several other cities.
He has suspended cabinet meetings and has pleaded with the influential cleric to intervene and stop the violence.
For now, Mr Sadr has announced a hunger strike until the violence and use of weapons by all sides stopped.
Image caption, The unrest continued throughout the night. Image source, Getty Images
In his statement on Monday, Mr Sadr said: “I had decided not to interfere in political affairs, but I now announce my final retirement and the closure of all [Sadrist] institutions.” Some religious sites linked to his movement will remain open.
Mr Sadr, 48, has been a dominant figure in Iraqi public and political life for the past two decades. His Mehdi Army emerged as one of the most powerful militias which fought US and allied Iraqi government forces in the aftermath of the invasion which toppled former ruler Saddam Hussein.
He later rebranded it as the Peace Brigades, and it remains one of the biggest militias which now form part of the Iraqi armed forces.
Mr Sadr, one of Iraq’s most recognisable figures with his black turban, dark eyes and heavy set build, had championed ordinary Iraqis hit by high unemployment, continual power cuts and corruption.
He is one of a few figures who could quickly mobilise hundreds of thousands of supporters on to the streets, and draw them down again. Hundreds have been camped outside parliament since storming it twice in July and August in protest at the deadlock.
Once an Iranian ally, Mr Sadr has distanced himself from Iraq’s Shia neighbour and repositioned himself as a nationalist wanting to end US and Iranian influence over Iraq’s internal affairs.
Former US president George W Bush accidently condemned Vladimir Putin’s invasion of “Iraq”, before correcting himself by saying he was talking about Ukraine.
Mr Bush made the gaffe during a speech at an event in Dallas, Texas, where he was talking about the importance of fair elections.
He said, “the decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq… I mean of Ukraine“.
Mr Bush was president during the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 over weapons of mass destruction that were never found.
About 130 Ghanaians who were promised a “better life†in Kuwait were left stranded after their arrival in the country in 2005.
The group who were made up of drivers pleaded with the government of Ghana to evacuate them from Iraq which they described as the “most unsafe place in the world.â€
There has been a similar call from some Ghanaians who are studying in China. This time, they are asking the government to evacuate them from the country(China) which is currently battling with the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19) with the death toll rising to 1,100 since its outbreak in Wuhan, China, on 31 December 2019.
Meanwhile, the Minority in Parliament has called on the government to immediately evacuate Ghanaian students currently locked up in China to another Asian country less affected by the coronavirus or back to Ghana.
They have given the government a three-day ultimatum to take action or face their wrath.
According to Minority, France, Switzerland, Philippines, Russia, and other African countries including war-ravaged Libya have all evacuated their nationals from China as a result of the CoronaVirus.
A 28-year-old taxi driver, Kwame Akyeampong who has been lured to Kuwait with the promise of a lucrative job offer in the rich Arab community is at the crossroads.
Kwame is among a group of 130 young Ghanaians all of them drivers now stranded in Kuwait.
Speaking to Kapital Radio in a telephone interview, he said he and his compatriots are in a critical situation and appealed to the government to provide them with an urgent assistance so they can return home safely. Kwame Akyeampong sent the distress message through Kapital radio.
According to him, even though the organizer of the trip from Ghana promised them that their final destination would be in Kuwait, they learnt with shock that Iraq, the world’s most dangerous place is rather where they are to look for the greener pastures.
According to him, as of the time he was making the distress call he was unsure of his fate, if that could be his last words as a living soul since he is expected to sit behind the steering wheels of a truck loaded with food ration for US soldiers in Baghdad – the most unsafe place in the world.
He indicated that most of the over hundred Ghanaians are from Kumasi. He indicated that nationals who work for the U.S and British troops have become targets of suicide bombers. He pleaded with the government to come to their rescue because other countries have already evacuated their nationals.
Asked about the apparent discrepancy this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Mr Trump said: “I heard that they had headaches, and a couple of other things, but I would say, and I can report, it’s not very serious.”
“I don’t consider them very serious injuries relative to other injuries I have seen,” he said when asked about possible TBIs.
The Pentagon says no Americans were killed in the Iranian missile strike on the Ain al-Asad base, with most sheltering in bunkers as missiles rained down.
On Friday, defence department spokesman Jonathan Hoffman told reporters that eight of the affected soldiers have been sent back to the US for further treatment, while another nine are being treated in Germany.
Sixteen troops were treated in Iraq and one in Kuwait before all 17 were returned to active duty, officials say.
Mr Hoffman added that the US Defence Secretary Mark Esper had not immediately been aware of the injuries in the days after the attack.
Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America, a non-profit organisation, slammed the Trump administration for taking so long to reveal the extent of casualties.
“This is a big deal,” its founder Paul Rieckhoff tweeted. “The American people must be able to trust the government to share information about our sons and daughters in harms way. Nothing is more serious and sacred.”
TBIs are common in warzones, according to the US military.
The most common cause of a TBI for deployed soldiers is an explosive blast, writes the US Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center.
They are classified as mild, moderate, severe or penetrating. A mild TBI is also known as a concussion, and can be caused by a blast’s “atmospheric over-pressure followed by under-pressure or vacuum”.
The air vacuum is capable of penetrating solid objects, making it possible for soldiers to avoid blunt force trauma but still receive an invisible brain injury.
On Friday, tens of thousands of Iraqis protested in the streets Baghdad against the presence of some 5,000 foreign troops in the country.
The Iraqi parliament has urged all foreign fighters – including from the US – to leave.
Arch-foes Tehran and Washington may be temporarily calling it even after Iranian missiles targeted US forces in Iraq, but analysts predict violent instability will keep blighting Baghdad.
“Iraq will remain a zone of conflict,” said Randa Slim of the Washington based Middle East Institute.
Early Wednesday, Iran launched 22 ballistic missiles at bases in Iraq hosting American and other foreign troops, in a calibrated response to the killing of a top Iranian general in a US air strike last week.
Iran warned Iraq about the raids shortly before they happened and in their immediate aftermath, foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Tehran had concluded its “proportionate” retaliation.
US President Donald Trump, too, said Iran “appears to be standing down” and even suggested Tehran and Washington could work towards a nuclear deal while cooperating against jihadists.
That hinted at a common desire to contain the fallout, but analysts say it would not be enough to spare Iraq.
“Both sides are so mobilised in Iraq, which has become such symbolic terrain for hitting out at the other,” said Erica Gaston of the New America Foundation.
Indeed, US troops and even the embassy in Baghdad had been hit by more than a dozen rocket attacks in recent months, which have killed one Iraqi soldier and an American contractor.
The attacks went unclaimed but the US blamed hardline elements of the Hashed al-Shaabi, an Iraqi military network incorporated into the state but linked to Tehran.
The strike that killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani outside Baghdad international airport on Friday also killed his top Iraqi aid and Hashed deputy chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
Just because the US and Iran have struck each other directly does not mean the Hashed would now sit on the sidelines, said Gaston.
“The Hashed is closer to the tip of the spear,” she said.
“There isn’t perfect command-and-control in the Hashed, which includes a lot of angry militiamen willing to take revenge on the US,” she added.
Bolstered by Iran’s attack, the Hashed said Wednesday it would take its own steps avenge Muhandis’s death.
“That is a promise,” vowed leading member Qais al-Khazali.
Hours later, two rockets slammed into the Iraqi capital’s Green Zone, the high-security enclave where the US embassy, other foreign missions and some foreign troops are based.
Hashed factions decided in recent days to unite under a “resistance” coalition to oust US troops from Iraq.
The spectre of bloodshed was especially worrisome as there is no evident mediator between the parties, said Slim.
In Lebanon, Iran’s ally Hezbollah has repeatedly clashed with its sworn enemy Israel but the United Nations’ peacekeeping force in the south has usually intervened before the conflict could spin out of control.
But “who is the mutually liked mediator?” on Iraqi soil, Slim asked.
Baghdad has long warned that tensions between Tehran and Washington, which began deteriorating significantly in 2018, would bring devastating conflict to the entire region.
Iraq’s government had tried to strike a balance between the two countries, both of which have close political and military ties to various elements of Iraq’s elite.
Balance now ‘impossible’
But the stunning developments of the last week — from the killing of Soleimani to Wednesday’s pre-dawn strikes — also hugely exacerbated Iraq’s political crisis.
“It has made a balance impossible and pushed Baghdad squarely into Iran’s camp,” said Toby Dodge, a professor at the London School of Economics.
Figures like Iraq’s President Barham Saleh, who was seen as one of the most senior officials with close ties to Washington, would likely see their influence dwindle.
“If last night was the theatre of retaliation, what today brings is political consolidation and domination of the pro-Iran factions,” Toby said.
The Hashed’s political arm, the Fatah bloc, has already seized on anti-US sentiment over the last week to push for a total ouster of foreign troops from Iraqi territory.
Some 5,200 American troops and hundreds more British, French, Canadian and other forces are based in Iraq to help local forces defeat jihadist sleeper cells.
On Wednesday, Iraqis’ reactions to Iran’s strikes were much tamer than the anger expressed at the US last week.
“Baghdad condemns the US publicly, but not Iran,” said Ramzy Mardini, a researcher and Iraq expert.
While appearing to be pro-Washington in the current climate carries a political cost, some political figures may be busy behind the scenes trying to salvage Iraq’s relationship with the US and restore some stability, however fragile.
But, Mardini warned, “if the crisis escalates, Baghdad’s space for manoeuvering will shrink. They’ll be forced to pick a side — and it won’t be the US.”
General Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ elite Quds Force, has been killed by US forces in Iraq.
The Pentagon confirmed he was killed “at the direction of the president”.
Gen Soleimani was being driven by car at Baghdad airport, alongside local Iran-backed militias, when he was hit by a US air strike.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said “severe revenge awaits the criminals” behind the attack.
He also announced three days of mourning.
Gen Soleimani, 62, was a major figure in the Iranian regime. His Quds Force reported directly to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and he was hailed as a heroic national figure.
But the US has called the commander and the Quds Force terrorists, and holds them responsible for the deaths of hundreds of US personnel.
US President Donald Trump tweeted an image of the American flag after the news broke.
Global oil prices meanwhile soared more than 4% in the wake of the strike.
What happened?
US media reports say Gen Soleimani and officials from Iran-backed militias were leaving Baghdad airport in two cars when they were hit by a US drone strike near a cargo area.
The commander had reportedly flown in from Lebanon or Syria. Several missiles reportedly struck the convoy, and at least five people are thought to have died.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis was among those killed.
A Pentagon statement said: “At the direction of the President, the US military has taken decisive defensive action to protect US personnel abroad by killing Qasem Soleimani.”
It added: “This strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans. The United States will continue to take all necessary action to protect our people and our interests wherever they are around the world.”
The drone strike comes days after protesters attacked the US embassy in Baghdad, clashing with US forces at the scene. The Pentagon said Gen Soleimani approved the attacks on the embassy.
How has Iran responded?
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Javad Zarif, called the attack an “act of international terrorism”, tweeting that the US “bears responsibility for all consequences of its rogue adventurism.”
Mohsen Rezaei, the former commander of the Revolutionary Guards, said Iran would take “vigorous revenge on America”. A spokesman for the Iranian government said the country’s top security body would meeting in a few hours to discuss the “criminal act of attack”.
Who was Qasem Soleimani?
From 1998, Maj Gen Qasem Soleimani led Iran’s Quds Force – an elite unit in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, which handles clandestine operations abroad.
Iran has acknowledged the role of the Quds Force in the conflicts in Syria, where it has advised forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and armed thousands of Shia Muslim militiamen fighting alongside them, and in Iraq, where it has backed a Shia-dominated paramilitary force that helped tackle IS.
These conflicts turned the once-reclusive Gen Soleimani into a something of celebrity in Iran.
The Trump administration has alleged that the Quds Force is “Iran’s primary mechanism for cultivating and supporting” US-designated terrorist groups across the Middle East – including Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement and Palestinian Islamic Jihad – by providing funding, training, weapons and equipment.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo designated Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and its Quds Force as foreign terrorist organisations in April.
