Advertisement

Readers like you keep news free for everyone.

More than 5,000 readers have already pitched in to keep free access to The Journal.

For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can help keep paywalls away.

Support us today
Not now
Monday 5 June 2023 Dublin: 15°C

# Iraq

All time
# strike back
Obama vows US 'will not be intimidated' by Islamic State jihadists
Terrorism experts say the group is not as strong as pre-911 Al-Qaeda.
# Steven Sotloff
US journalist Steven Sotloff 'beheaded by Islamic State' in newly released video
Sotloff appeared in the video in which James Foley was killed.
Voices
Opinion: Croke Park war plane stunt betrayed the history of the GAA
The fly-past of two US war planes was no doubt great entertainment for many, but it also trivialises the brutal machinery of war.
# islamic state
Amnesty: IS have carried out "acts of inhumanity on an unimaginable scale"
The human rights group says IS fighters have carried out “systematic ethnic cleansing” in northern Iraq.
# cooperating cousins
Irish and UK authorities to launch new terrorist flight watchlist
Irish and UK intelligence sharing is “at an all time high.”
# besieged
Breakthrough against IS: Iraqi troops reach town of Amerli, ending 2-month siege
It’s the biggest offensive success for the Iraqi government since IS militants overran large areas of the country in June.
# Iraq
'We will go home one day': Yazidis determined to return to their temples and normal lives
“We were pushed out of Sinjar, but even if (the jihadists) come here, I would rather die for this temple than leave Iraq.”
# War on Terror
UK increases terror threat level from "substantial" to "severe"
There is no evidence however to suggest that an attack is imminent.
# Iraq
Islamic State releases another beheading video
The video shows a Kurdish man being killed and follows the release of a number of videos which militants claim show the mass killing of Syrian soldiers.
Voices
Opinion: Dramatic change is needed in American foreign policy – the people have no appetite for war
The US must no longer be impulsively ready to employ its military around the world either for its own or for others’ ends.
# islamic state
Obama okays spy planes over Syria... but no airstikes yet
The US has long resisted taking action against IS inside Syria, but it’s believed the militants’ murder of journalist James Foley may have altered the President’s approach.
# Love
James Foley wrote a letter to his family while in captivity and it's beautiful
“Dreams of family and friends take me away and happiness fills my heart.”
Voices
Opinion: The killing and imprisonment of journalists should concern us all
Worrying press arrests in Ferguson and the grisly murder of James Foley underlines it is in all of our interests to ensure journalists can report without fear.
Voices
Opinion: The murder of James Foley will backfire spectacularly on Isis
Western powers were growing increasingly weary of military engagements in the Middle East – but this provocation will ensure a sustained, focused campaign to eliminate Isis.
# islamic state
Urgent action needed to avoid "massacre" in Iraq
The UN says that the town of Amerli is seriously at risk.
# Breaking the Cycle
To pay or not to pay? James Foley's death underscores an agonising dilemma
It is estimated that terrorists net about $120m between 2004 and 2012 in ransoms.
# Iraq
Islamic State will "have to be defeated" says America's top general
The militants have an “apocalyptic, end of days vision”, it has been said.
# Iraq
Reports: 70 killed as Shiite militiamen open fire at Sunni mosque
It’s reported that a suicide bomber blew up explosives inside the building, and that the gunmen then fired on the fleeing worshippers.
# islamic state
Read the chilling email IS militants sent to James Foley's parents
The email says the militant group will “not stop until we quench our thirst for your blood”.
Voices
Opinion: 'I ate leaves and grass to stay alive' – Iraqi families pushed from their homes by ISIS
Religious minorities who have been forcefully displaced by Islamic State extremists face an uncertain future.
# islamic state
ISIS militants holding James Foley captive asked for a ransom of $100m
Foley’s family were in e-mail contact with those holding him.
# islamic state
James Foley's family asks kidnappers to spare hostages after video of alleged beheading
Diane Foley says the family has “never been prouder of our son Jim”.
# Iraq
Iraqi troops launch major operation against IS fighters over Saddam's hometown
Meanwhile, Washington insists it is not ‘on the same page’ as Syria in their fight against Islamic State militants.
# islamic state
Pope Francis has endorsed the use of force to stop Islamic militants in Iraq
The Pope has said that minorities need to be protected but wants the UN to be involved.
# isis
Kurdish troops take towns from Islamic State, advance on key dam
The Kurds are backed by American air strikes.
# Iraq
Dozens of Yazidi villagers 'massacred' in Iraq
It is believed dozens of men from the Yazidi faith were massacred in the village of Kocho.
# TAKING ACTION
Some EU countries will be arming Kurdish fighters in Iraq - but Ireland won't be one of them
The decision follows a rare summer meeting of EU foreign ministers, including Charlie Flanagan, in Brussels today.
# Nuri al-Maliki
Iraqi PM throws in the towel on his bid to stay in power
Nuri al-Maliki was facing huge pressure to step down.
# Trapped
US troops in Iraq find plight of refugees 'better than feared'
The Pentagon said an evacuation is now far less likely.
# escalation
What to do? The EU is to hold an extraordinary meeting on Iraq
Charlie Flanagan says the EU needs a “strong and unified response to the terror in Northern Iraq”.
# potential genocide
Ireland will take in a small number of families fleeing the violence in Iraq
As much as €500,000 in emergency funding will also be provided to organisations working in the area.
# time to get out
20,000 Iraqis face 'mass atrocity and potential genocide within days or hours'
The US is assessing how to evacuate up to 30,000 civilians off a mountain that is besieged by extremists.
# Iraq
Explainer: Why thousands of Yazidi people are trapped on an Iraq mountain
We look at what’s happening in Northern Iraq as the Islamic State (formerly ISIS) continues its attacks, causing thousands to flee.
# islamic state
Who else, besides Americans, are flying military jets in Iraq? They might not be Iraqis...
Russians or Iranians might have piloted planes that targeted Islamic State militants last week.
# kurdistan
Irish oil and gas firm evacuates Iraq staff
Petroceltic said the move is “precautionary”.
# Nuri al-Maliki
US considers rescue mission for trapped Yazidi refugees in Iraq
It comes as the country’s prime minister said he would sue the president in a desperate bid to cling to his job.
Voices
Opinion: The Syrian Civil War has moved out of the limelight – and towards its endgame
Moderate rebels are being squeezed simultaneously by IS and Assad regime forces.
# islamic state
Britain has started airdropping food and water to besieged Yazidi
US forces said they had “successfully (conducted) four airstrikes to defend Yazidi civilians being indiscriminately attacked”.