IS militants have launched a multi-pronged offensive, reversing tentative gains by pro-government forces and sinking the province deeper into chaos.

A senior commander of Saraya al-Khorasani, a powerful militia in northern Iraq, denies accusations of sectarian cleansing against Sunnis and discusses training and support from Iran.

Iran-backed militias are integral to the battle against IS militants and infamous for atrocities against Sunnis; now, they are also in conflict with Iraqi Kurds.

A deadly bombing in downtown Erbil - the first such attack in over a year - could cause Kurdistan to restrict the influx of refugees.

In Iraq's oil capital, at least four people have been killed in shootings and three more have been kidnapped in the past week.

After four months of a deadly stalemate, Iraqi forces now appear on the offensive in the battle for Iraq's largest refinery.

Far away from the threat of IS militants, Iraq's oil capital is slipping toward lawlessness after a month of abductions and explosions.

In Tuz Khurmatu, a gun battle between Shia militia and Kurdish fighters – nominal partners in the fight against IS militants – highlights the ethnic and sectarian tensions pulling northern Iraq apart.

After dozens of Iraqi Army and militia fighters died in an ambush by IS militants – the latest setback in a 10-month fight for Anbar – Iraq's new PM has fired two top generals.