Security

As Iraq tries to rein in paramilitary groups, oil sector threats remain

Several armed groups say they will put their weapons under state control, but the most aggressive Iran-backed fighters remain outside the process.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi (center front) attends a ceremony on June 14, 2026, to mark the 12th anniversary of the creation of the Popular Mobilization Forces. (Photo credit: Prime Minister's Office)

Jul 29, 2015

UPDATE: Pipeline sabotage halts Turkey exports

As tensions rise in southeastern Turkey, a bomb hits the KRG's economic lifeline.

Jul 22, 2015

Mosul insurgents challenge Islamic State occupiers

A group calling itself Kataib al-Mosul is waging a campaign of assassinations against IS fighters throughout Mosul and feeding intelligence to Iraqi and U.S. forces.

Jun 3, 2015

Q&A: Anbari tribal leaders

The fall of Ramadi was long in the making, and is only the latest symptom of long-standing dysfunction in the Iraqi government's strategy for Anbar province.

May 26, 2015

Baiji refinery devastated by IS scorched earth tactics

IS militants destroy critical control rooms and production units as pro-government forces battle to retake the remnants of Iraq's largest oil refinery.

May 23, 2015

After seizing Ramadi, IS presses Anbar campaign

After taking Anbar's capital, IS fighters are seizing more territory and threatening the Habbaniya air base, a key staging area for a potential Iraqi counter-attack.

May 19, 2015

Rocket attack hits Ajil field

The Islamic State (IS) militant group has destroyed a crucial flow tank at the Ajil oil field near Tikrit, rendering the entire field offline for at least a year.

May 9, 2015

Shia militias skirmish with presidential guards

Tensions rise in northern Salahaddin province after militiamen confiscated vehicles and weapons from Iraqi President Fuad Masum's Kurdish Peshmerga bodyguards.

May 7, 2015

Backup arrives for Baiji refinery defense

Days after IS fighters made a devastating incursion into Iraq's largest oil refinery, reinforcements have joined the fight.

May 7, 2015

New brigade to protect Basra oil companies

A new Oil Police brigade has formed to guard foreign oil companies in Basra, partly in response to a rash of tribal and gang-related violence in recent months.

Apr 30, 2015

Iraqi forces overpowered at Baiji refinery

IS militants now control most of Iraq's largest oil refinery after a relentless offensive that has left pro-government forces in disarray.