Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Saturday confirmed a drone strike targeting the residence of Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani in Duhok amid escalating tensions in West Asia, triggering a sharp blame game between the United States and Iran.
The UAE consulate in Erbil, located in Iraq's Kurdish region, suffered structural damage in the aerial attack. Officials said there were no casualties.
By all available indications, the White House drafted a face-saving note and handed it, ready-made, to Islamabad. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was supposed to then post it in the guise of a plea urging Trump to extend the deadline by two weeks 'to allow diplomacy to run its course'. Trump would then graciously accept Pakistan's 'request' and declare a ceasefire. Sharif dutifully posted the message on X. Except that he, or whoever was handling the account, forgot to delete the tell-tale first line visible in the edit history: 'Draft - Pakistan's PM Message on X'. Prem Panicker's must read blog on the Iran War.
'The entire US ecosystem built over decades at the bases in the Gulf region, especially the UAE, costing trillions of dollars have been decimated, dealing a mortal blow to the US Central Command's war capability,' points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
'Without ground troops the US will not be able to oust the Iranian Islamic regime. Political change does not happen just by using bombs or planes.'
The Iraqi Prime Minister said that personnel of the country's national intelligence service, working with coalition forces commanded by the United States, had killed the head of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
Badar Khan Suri, an Indian postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University, is facing deportation after US authorities accused him of "spreading Hamas propaganda" and having "close connections to a suspected terrorist." The Department of Homeland Security claims Suri has been actively promoting antisemitism on social media and is connected to a senior Hamas advisor. Suri's lawyer, Hassan Ahmad, argues that his client is being targeted due to his wife's Palestinian heritage and their opposition to US foreign policy towards Israel. The incident follows the self-deportation of another Indian student from Columbia University who was also accused of supporting Hamas.
In his petition, Suri's lawyer said that he is being punished as his wife, who is a US citizen, is of Palestinian heritage and because the government suspects that he and his wife are against the US foreign policy towards Israel.
... and there is no stopping its pan-Islamic agenda, cautions Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
'The work of a film-maker is going out and making films.' 'And if you are in prison for 15 years, you can't make films.'
Pezeshkian gained the attention of people for his stance against the crackdown on the 2009 pro-democracy protests and the violence perpetrated by the notorious morality police in 2022 after Mahsa Amini's death.
Jailed Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi has been awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all.
The United States military forces on Thursday (US local time) conducted self-defence strikes on two facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups.
Loud jeers were heard from Iranian supporters as the anthem played, with the team singing quietly as it played.
Same-sex relationships are illegal in Qatar.
Photos posted by both outlets appeared to show her with no headscarf during the tournament. Khabarvarzeshi also posted a photo of her wearing a headscarf but without saying if it was taken at the same event.
'The war against ISIS is what earned the Kurds global recognition of being some of the best fighters that overshadowed regular armies,' points out Brigadier S K Chatterji (retd).
Iran's Attorney General Mohammad Javad Montazeri said that the morality police 'was abolished by the same authorities who installed it', The New York Times reported.
Defender Ehsan Hajsafi became on Sunday the first member of Iran's national team to speak out from the World Cup in Doha in apparent support of anti-government protests at home, saying players should be the voice of those suffering.
Santiago Sanchez was last heard from on Oct. 1 when he sent friends a picture of himself on the Iraq-Iran border
Women make up 40 per cent of the entire Kurdish militia
Her name is Mayssa Abdo and she has set social media abuzz for her role defending the Syrian border town of Kobane against invading Islamic fighters.
Free from the Islamic State, Syria's Kobani now lies in ruins.
Toll rises to 44 in bomb attack in Syrian Kurdish city.
It marked the first major meeting between the two countries since President Trump pulled US armed forces out of northern Syria.
In a major departure from its long-standing policy of not exporting arms to a conflict region, Germany on Wednesday decided to supply weapons to Kurdish forces battling the "barbaric" Islamic State of Iraq and Syria militants in northern Iraq.
He also warned the Islamic State that America would hit them hard from nearby military bases if the terror outfit regains momentum.
Hundreds of protesters, mostly women, took to the streets following the death of Mahsa Amini -- a Kurd native, chanting anti-government slogans that target the core of the Islamic regime and its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Seven countries, including Italy, France and the United Kingdom, have joined the American effort to arm the Kurdish forces in northern Iraq against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, a terrorist outfit that has gained control of large parts of Syria and Iraq.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the IS extremist group was the "likely perpetrator" of the bomb attack in Gaziantep.
On Wednesday, Turkish jets and artillery targeted Kurdish-controlled areas in Syria, forcing thousands of civilians to flee their homes.
Rainbow-themed badge adorns US training facility
Here are some of the best photos from around the world in the month gone by.
Here is a glimpse into US soldiers' life battling against IS.
Trump defended his decision saying that the United States has done its part and now it is the time for other regional players to play their part.
Beloved movies, brand new shows, must-watch documentaries and feel-good fare, it's all there on OTT this week. Sukanya Verma offers a peek.
The advisory was issued by the Indian embassy in Ankara on Tuesday against the backdrop of strained India-Turkey relations and Turkey's offensive against Kurdish rebels in Syria.
The battle for Mosul, where the self-declared caliph of IS is believed to be hiding, is likely to end in a decisive defeat for the terrorist group, the Independent reported.
A civil engineer by training, Majeed tried to blow himself up thrice but failed each time
The boys are seen shooting dead five men identified as captured Kurdish fighters who are kneeling.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances