Reporter's Diary from Iraq

Jul 07, 2014 18:07 (IST)

Iraq Army's Major General Killed in Ongoing Offensive

Major General Abdullah al-Sudani has been killed in 'hostile shelling' in Abu Ghraib area, west of Baghdad.

He was the Commander of the Iraqi Army's 6th Division.

Iraqi Forces and the Islamic State (IS) have been fighting each other in this area since January.

The Islamic State controls Fallujah and parts of Ramadi since January.

Jul 07, 2014 18:06 (IST)

Iraq Parliament Session Postponed Till August 12

Iraq's Parliament session, which was scheduled to restart tomorrow, has been postponed till August 12.

Parliament was convened last Tuesday but adjourned till tomorrow due to a lack of consensus among its members.

Iraq Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki has the support of 100 of the 380 Parliamentarians, but he needs the support of other parties to form the government.

According to the Iraq constitution, Shias have to agree on the prime ministerial nominee, Sunnis nominate the Speaker and Kurds nominate the President.

But Kurds and Sunnis have refused to name their candidates till Shias name the PM candidate.

Maliki, who has faced demands for his resignation over the current crisis, is reportedly keen on a third term.

Jul 07, 2014 16:31 (IST)

Jul 06, 2014 18:57 (IST)

ISIS militants at the Tikrit Hospital in Iraq where 46 Indian nurses were stranded. They were released on Thursday evening and brought back to India by a special flight on Saturday morning.

Jul 06, 2014 18:56 (IST)

This is the Tikrit Hospital in Iraq, where 46 Indian nurses were stranded.

Jul 06, 2014 17:26 (IST)

500 Indians to return from Iraq:

170 more Indians, stranded in war-torn Iraq, are expected to fly out of Najaf today. Nearly 500 more are expected to leave Najaf and Basra in the next 36 hours.

Jul 06, 2014 13:36 (IST)

Jul 06, 2014 13:14 (IST)

Jul 05, 2014 13:36 (IST)

Jul 05, 2014 12:41 (IST)

BREAKING NEWS

Indian nurses freed from Iraq reach Kochi, reunite with their families

Jul 05, 2014 10:52 (IST)

Jul 05, 2014 09:32 (IST)

BREAKING NEWS:

Special plane carrying Indian nurses freed from Iraq lands in Mumbai

Jul 05, 2014 07:53 (IST)

The plane carrying 46 Indian nurses and 100 other Indians, that took off from Iraq at 04:15 IST, will reach India at around 9:30 am. The plane will first land in Mumbai to refuel and then it will go to Kochi where it's expected to land at around noon.

Jul 05, 2014 03:41 (IST)

Special plane to bring back 46 nurses, other Indians awaits take-off at Iraq's Erbil airport.

Jul 05, 2014 03:16 (IST)

Jul 05, 2014 00:01 (IST)

46 Indian nurses, who were freed this evening by Sunni militant group ISIS in war-torn Iraq, have reached the airport in Erbil, in Kurdistan.

They will take a special flight -- sent by the Indian government to bring them back home -- from the Erbil airport at midnight local time (3 am Indian Standard Time).

Jul 04, 2014 18:32 (IST)

A photograph of the Ghaazar check-post in Iraq, taken a few days ago. This is the second check-post on the Erbil-Mosul road.

The 46 Indian nurses shifted from Tikrit yesterday are believed to be headed to Erbil right now.

Jul 04, 2014 15:47 (IST)

46 Indian Nurses in Iraq Freed by Militants, Say Sources: 10 Developments
The nurses are reportedly being taken to Erbil, from where they will fly to India in a special plane.

Jul 04, 2014 14:19 (IST)

The nurses are reportedly being taken to Erbil, from where they will take a flight to India.

Jul 04, 2014 14:18 (IST)

46 Indian nurses who were stranded in a hospital in Tikrit in war-torn Iraq and were in captivity will be freed by the Sunni militant group ISIS, sources say.

Jul 04, 2014 11:54 (IST)

The 46 Indian and 10 Bangladeshi nurses are safe and are being fed - NDTV reports 80 km from the location they're in, in Mosul, Iraq.

Jul 04, 2014 00:06 (IST)

Jul 03, 2014 17:17 (IST)

Indian Nurses in Iraq's Tikrit Are In ISIS Captivity
'Nurses safe and unharmed': foreign ministry.

Jul 03, 2014 01:23 (IST)

Indian Nurses in 'Difficult Situation' in Tikrit

46 Indian nurses, who are trapped at a state-run hospital in Tikrit in Iraq, will be stuck there for some more time as sources say Tikrit-Baghdad highway is still not safe to evacuate them.

Jul 02, 2014 23:41 (IST)

Father and daughter wait for their turn for food aid from the United Nations/World Food Programme in Alqosh, north Iraq.

Jul 02, 2014 23:39 (IST)

Internally Displaced Persons or IDPs can enter Kurdistan only if they have family or friends there or the government agrees to sponsor them.

200 families, of the 500,000 who fled Mosul, were lucky enough to enter Kurdistan.

The United Nations estimates that Iraq has nearly two million IDPs from the current and earlier conflicts. Those not allowed inside Kurdistan are living in camps on the border.

Jul 02, 2014 23:34 (IST)

The United Nations food truck has arrived. 200 families, registered as IDPs, will receive aid.

Jul 02, 2014 23:32 (IST)

On our way from Erbil to Dohuk in Iraq to witness the distribution of food by the United Nations/World Food Programme for internally displaced people or IDPs who have fled Sunni jihadis from Mosul.

Alqosh is about a two-hour drive from Erbil in Kurdistan. Christians who have fled from Mosul have taken shelter here.

Jul 02, 2014 14:52 (IST)

'India Missing Out on Opportunities in the Land of Black Gold'

Heman Hawrami, the head of strategic communication in the Kurdistan regional government's president's office tells NDTV in Salahaddin that he can't understand why New Delhi is taking so long to understand new realities on the ground and how they needn't look at the region only through Baghdad.

Jul 02, 2014 00:25 (IST)

Nurses in Iraq in a 'Difficult Situation', Government to Step Up Rescue Efforts

The 46 Indian nurses, who are trapped in a hospital in Iraq's Tikrit as fighting rages on between the army and the militants of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant or ISIL, seem to be in a difficult situation, said sources. A bombing was reported near the hospital located on the outskirts of Tikrit town on Tuesday, but the nurses were safe and unharmed, they said.

Jul 01, 2014 18:29 (IST)

Sunni militants in Iraq speak to 46 Indian nurses stranded in Tikrit, offer to move them to safety

Jul 01, 2014 13:00 (IST)

A Report From Kurdistan in North Iraq

While Iraq brings up images of Sunni Jihadists on the rampage, killing without blinking an eye, NDTV finds that Kurdistan in North Iraq is still isolated from the bloody battles.

Jun 30, 2014 22:58 (IST)

ISIS Declares New 'Islamic Caliphate'
Over 90 Indians left Iraq and another 100 are expected to leave in the next 3-4 days, the government confirmed today. As a weak Iraqi government struggles to stave off their assault, militants have now declared an Islamic state in Syria and Iraq.

Jun 30, 2014 19:55 (IST)

Stopped by the police -- arguing NDTV has no permission

Jun 30, 2014 18:46 (IST)

Kurd army Peshmerga travelling to the frontline.

Jun 30, 2014 18:29 (IST)

At the frontline beyond Kirkuk - interviewing Kurdish general Sherko --brigade commander who vowed to never let Sunni jihadists cross into Kurdistan.

Jun 30, 2014 15:48 (IST)

Jun 30, 2014 08:59 (IST)

Islamic states issue declaration and propaganda video in English calling leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as 'Caliph'. ISIS seeks to erase borders from Mediterranean to the Gulf. Calls on Jihadis worldwide to pledge allegiance in direct challenge to Al-Qaeda's leadership

Jun 30, 2014 00:13 (IST)

Security Forces, Rebels Fight for Iraq's Tikrit

Jun 29, 2014 13:06 (IST)

A mosque in mid-town Erbil, the largest city in Iraq's Kurdistan.

Jun 29, 2014 13:04 (IST)

An Indian working in a mall at Erbil, Iraq. Over 10,000 Indians work in the country; 200 of them in the conflict zone.

Jun 29, 2014 13:01 (IST)

Cameraperson Prem Singh and Correspondent Amitabh Pashupati Revi at the citadel of Erbil.

Jun 29, 2014 12:16 (IST)

Kurdistan: An oasis of calm in Iraq's chaos

Jun 29, 2014 12:09 (IST)

Bloody battles around Baghdad and Anbar are casting a shadow on the holy month of Ramzan that has begun in Iraq.

Jun 29, 2014 10:14 (IST)

Iraq Army Claims to have Taken Over Tikrit

The Iraq Army has claimed to have taken control of Tikrit and pushed back ISIS militants, who had earlier taken over the town. But the Sunni insurgent group has denied this and claimed that it is pushing back the ground and air offensive launched by Iraqi forces. Iraqi forces also claimed that they have taken control of the road between Baghdad and Samarra.

Security advisors from the United States administration have been coordinating with Iraqi forces over the assault on Tikrit.

The Iraq government has criticised the US for 'going slow' on an earlier deal for the delivery of F-16 fighter aircraft. The US administration has claimed that the delivery was due in autumn.

Jun 29, 2014 09:56 (IST)

Jun 29, 2014 00:28 (IST)

Watch: NDTV at Ground Zero in Erbil, Iraq
The Indian government has intensified its effort to bring back Indians who are being held hostage and are stranded in the war-torn country of Iraq.

Jun 28, 2014 17:33 (IST)

'Need to Focus on Human Cost of the Unfolding Crisis in Iraq': United Nations to NDTV
Two million people could have been displaced in Iraq after the Sunni jihadist offensive and other conflicts over the years in Iraq, according to the United Nations. The country head for the World Food Programme, Jane Pearce said, "Apart from the fact that we have displaced people in 2014 we already had 1 million displaced people from conflicts in 2005 and 2006."

Jun 28, 2014 15:13 (IST)

Kurdistan Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani (right) met British Foreign Secretary William Hague on Friday.

President Masoud Barzani, the prime minister's uncle, has vowed to keep Kurdistan autonomous and move towards independence.

He has gone on record to say, "This land is our land".

Western nations are trying to push the Kurds, who are fiercely proud of their distinct historic identity, to agree to an inclusive government in Baghdad.

Jun 28, 2014 13:59 (IST)

Armed Kurdish fighters, known as Peshmerga, have reinforced posts outside Erbil to protect the city from militants.

Jun 28, 2014 13:57 (IST)

This is the Citadel of Erbil.

Erbil is the fourth largest city of Iraq and the most prominent one in the Kurdistan region.

The citadel, claim locals, is the longest continuously inhabited settlement in history.

Jun 28, 2014 13:12 (IST)

There is no information about the Indians allegedly held captive in Mosul in Iraq, the spokesperson of the International Society of the Red Cross and Red Crescent told NDTV; the organisation has not been able to get in touch with them.
Speaking about the 46 nurses stranded in Tikrit, the spokesperson said the ICRC's role is to facilitate safety, to be neutral among all parties and make sure it's safe for those stranded to be evacuated; the ICRC's role is not to advise any party
"We are in touch with the nurses and the hospital administration in Tikrit. The roads are still not safe for evacuation," said the spokesperson.
The nurses stranded in Tikrit told NDTV: There has been no change in the situation. We are safe; we have food, electricity and water. We have not heard sounds of fighting today, except for some sporadic gun shots in the distance.

Jun 28, 2014 12:49 (IST)

Iraqi forces claim to have launched helicopter strikes on Tikrit - late dictator Saddam Hussein's hometown -- and Baiji, where a key oil refinery is located. Both Tikrit and Baiji have been overtaken by militants.

Jun 28, 2014 12:47 (IST)

Man in a traditional Kurd dress sells prayer beads in Iraq.

Jun 28, 2014 12:40 (IST)

1,200 Chinese workers, who were trapped in the northern city of Samarra in Iraq, have been evacuated to Baghdad.
The workers, who were involved in the construction of a power plant, were evacuated over three days.
The Iraq military also helped in the evacuation.
More than 10,000 Chinese citizens are believed to be living in Iraq.
The Iraq military has claimed to have secured the Samarra-Baghdad highway.

Jun 28, 2014 07:53 (IST)

Jun 27, 2014 23:41 (IST)

NDTV at Ground Zero in Erbil, Iraq

NDTV brings exclusive ground reports from Erbil, a city just 100 kms from Mosul where several Indians have been taken hostage. Iraq has been under immense tension as militants are storming through the country to overthrow the current government.

Jun 27, 2014 19:16 (IST)

Jun 27, 2014 18:33 (IST)

Kurdistan: a nominally autonomous region yearns for Independence from Iraq

Jun 27, 2014 18:33 (IST)

Erbil airport: Large, spotless, few flights

Jun 27, 2014 18:32 (IST)

An empty airport, but businessmen, educationists and workers fly in in reasonable numbers

Jun 27, 2014 18:31 (IST)

Kurdistan is a potential gateway to trade between Europe and Asia

Jun 27, 2014 18:31 (IST)

Advertisements at Kurdistan airport: Football World Cup mania here too

Jun 27, 2014 18:29 (IST)

Touchdown: NDTV is the first Indian media team in Iraq after the crisis

Jun 27, 2014 16:38 (IST)

UK Foreign Secretary William Hague met Kurdish leaders in Iraq, says there is no plan of military intervention. Mr Hague also met Kurdish president Masoud Barzani.

Jun 27, 2014 16:36 (IST)

Reporter's Diary from Iraq

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