Haider al-Abadi
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Fighting over Kurdish independence
A political fiasco
By going ahead with the referendum on independence, Massoud Barzani has forfeited the support of his international allies, while bringing tensions with Iraqi central government to a dangerous head. If Barzani hoped the referendum would consolidate his own power base, he couldn′t have been more wrong. An analysis by Cigdem Akyol
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Islamic State
Down but not necessarily out
With Mosul and Raqqa retaken, the fate of Islamic State's territorial caliphate is sealed. Yet Loay Mudhoon says that's no reason to give the all clear, as IS is nothing more than a symptom of a crisis of statehood
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Battle for Mosul
Operation merciless
The battle for Mosul should have been brought to an end a long time ago. Last October, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi promised the city would be liberated within three months. But the battle for what used to be Iraq's second largest city has now been raging for more than seven months. And the number of civilian victims continues its dramatic rise. By Birgit Svensson
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Erdogan and Turkish foreign policy
Neo-Ottoman rumblings
In the past few months Turkish President Erdogan has repeatedly called the borders of Turkey into question and implicitly laid claim to neighbouring territories. While such statements are mainly aimed at his own citizens, the neighbouring states are getting nervous, particularly now that Erdogan has dispatched troops to Syria and Iraq. By Ulrich von Schwerin
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The reconquest of Fallujah
The serpent′s head
Last week Iraq′s prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, announced victory over the "Islamic State" terror militia in Fallujah and the liberation of the city. But following the advance of government forces into the centre of the western Iraqi IS stronghold, the refugee crisis in the region is worsening. The mass exodus from Fallujah continues, with people still leaving in their thousands. By Birgit Svensson
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Battle for the IS stronghold of Fallujah
Militiamen on the rampage
The battle for the Iraqi city of Fallujah is in full swing. Shia militia are apparently giving the IS jihadists a run for their money. But what appears to be militarily effective is a political disaster. By Karim El-Gawhary
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Iraq′s political crisis
Al-Sadr the power broker
Demonstrators have gathered in Baghdad to protest Iraq's government every Friday for months. The Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is using the movement to stage his political comeback. Birgit Svensson reports from Baghdad
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The role of Qassem Soleimani in Iraq
Reining in the lion
Until recently, General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards "Quds" Force, was still being hailed as a military hero and man for the future. But more and more details are emerging concerning his destructive role in Iraq. By Ali Sadrzadeh
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Protesting corruption and mismanagement in Iraq
Caught in the spotlight
Haider al-Abadi′s faltering reform programme and the effects of partial IS occupation are being thrown into stark relief by the latest wave of protests against corruption and government inefficiency in Iraq. By Chiara Cruciati
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Sunni-Shia conflict
The enemy of my enemy
Anyone who thinks that the Sunnis in Tikrit and Mosul will welcome the opponents of Islamic State with open arms as liberators is mistaken. They fear the Shia militias even more than they do IS. This shows how the inner-Islamic religious war has polarised Iraqi society. By Stefan Buchen
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Military offensive against IS in Iraq
Strike and counter-strike
The Iraqi army hopes that taking back Tikrit will come to mean to it what Kobani means to the Kurds: a turning point and a motivational push in one. By Birgit Svensson in Baghdad
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Offensive against IS in Iraq
Sowing the seeds of the next disaster
With their keen fighting spirit, the Shia militias may well be an effective weapon in the fight against Islamic State in Iraq. However, this is quite literally a case of casting out the devil that is IS with the Beelzebub that is the Shia militias, says Karim El-Gawhary