Shafaq News- Saqqez

The city of Saqqez* in western Iran will host the fourth InternationalKurdish Horse Festival on Oct. 16, with riders and horses from several Iranianprovinces and participants from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI).

Fars News Agency quoted the organizers as saying that the festival aimsto showcase the traits and potential of the Kurdish horse breed, promotecultural and sporting exchange, and support equestrian traditions.

The program includes horsemanship displays, breed assessments andintroductions of the participating horses, as well as workshops on horsebreeding and breed improvement.

Riders from the Iranian provinces of Isfahan, Kermanshah, Kurdistan,East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan are expected to take part, along withparticipants from the KRI.

*Saqqez is in Iran's Kurdistan province, which borders Iraq and isseparate from the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq.

Read more: Iran's Kurds straddle the line between inclusion and autonomy

Shafaq News- Duhok

The fourth Local Products Festival opened on Thursdayin Barwari Bala, northern Duhok province, in Iraqi Kurdistan, with 215 stallsfeaturing agricultural produce, handicrafts, and traditional Kurdish foods.

Festival organizer Fahmi Baley told Shafaq News thatthe event aims to support local farmers, encourage residents to return to theirvillages, and revive rural economies. This year’s participants include 103farmers, 50 handicraft producers, and around 20 to 25 Kurdish food vendors,alongside honey and sweets makers, painters, and photographers.

Apples are a major crop in Barwari Bala, where farmersgrow more than 12 varieties, with about 4,000 tons available for market thisyear, according to Baley.

Farmer Akram Mohammed Ahmed Barwari reported a strongharvest this season, with local orchards producing American, Golden, Lebanese,and Ghanimos apple varieties, alongside walnuts, figs, and raisins. However, hewarned that competition from imported apples, particularly from Iran, makes itdifficult for local growers to market their produce.

He called for regulating imports during the domesticharvest season, noting that a box of locally grown apples sells for about15,000 Iraqi dinars ($9.87), while a single orchard can yield more than 20 tonsin a good year.

The festival also promotes investment in processingagricultural products into juice and jam to expand marketing opportunities forgrowers.

1 USD = 1520 dinar

Shafaq News- Al-Sulaymaniyah

Al-Sulaymaniyah Criminal Court has postponed the trial ofPeople's Front Party (PFP) leader Lahur Sheikh Jangi, his brother Bolad and 10others in connection with the 2025 Lalezar case after all of them denied thecharges against them, Shafaq News learned on Thursday.

On August 22, 2025, armed clashes broke out aroundAl-Sulaymaniyah's Lalezar Hotel between security forces affiliated with thePatriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and gunmen loyal to Sheikh Jangi. Thefighting left casualties on both sides and ended with Sheikh Jangi and dozensof his supporters detained.

Dana Taqi Al-Din, a member of Sheikh Jangi's defense teamhearing told a press conference that the session was the seventh in the case,adding that the court presented the charges to the defendants during thesession, while the defense did not submit its legal brief.

The case will return to court next Thursday, when thecharges are expected to be read out again as proceedings enter a new stagefocused on submissions from the prosecution and defense. The court has notindicated what verdicts could eventually be issued.

The latest hearing was conducted under Article 56 of theIraqi Penal Code. Taqi Al-Din said the defense would appeal any ruling issuedby the Criminal Court and seek a review of the decision.

Read more: Arresting Lahur Jangi in Al-Sulaymaniyah: WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR

Shafaq News- Al-Sulaymaniyah

The Kurdistan Region of Iraq has enough food stocks tolast approximately six months under normal consumption levels, Mustafa SheikhAbdulrahman, head of the General Union of Importers and Exporters, told ShafaqNews on Thursday.

Abdulrahman said the union has been monitoring localmarkets since the government raised the official dollar rate on Wednesday, withpreliminary assessments suggesting the higher rate may not last and could moveback toward the official level.

“There is no reason for concern or to rush into buyingmore supplies than necessary,” he added, noting that current market indicatorspoint to no immediate risk of shortages or sharp price increases. Widespreadstockpiling, he warned, could exhaust food reserves in as little as 20 daysrather than the six months they would normally cover.

Read more: Iraqi dinar devaluation sparks backlash from blocs inside the cabinet

Shafaq News- Erbil

Erbil hosted a music event titled “Open Decks” on Wednesday,organized by the Goethe-Institut in cooperation with the Exodus community togive beginners and music enthusiasts an opportunity to learn the basics ofDJing and mixing.

The institute told Shafaq News that the event was held inpartnership with Framing School for Visual Journalism as part of a recurringinitiative designed to create an interactive and supportive environment.Participants had the opportunity to try professional DJ equipment and explore arange of international music styles.

The event also provided a space for music enthusiasts andartists to connect and network, while offering hands-on training andopportunities to share experiences in an interactive setting that supportsemerging talent.

Shafaq News- Erbil

Teams from the Parks Engineering Directorate in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, began planting hundreds of sissoo and elm trees on Wednesday along 60-Meter Road and at the foot of the historic Erbil Citadel, as part of a municipal plan to plant thousands of trees in different parts of the city by the end of October.

The directorate said the program aims to increase green space, expand vegetation, and improve the city’s appearance, with further planting planned in coordination with residents, organizations, and environmental activists.

In April, Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw said the city’s air quality had improved following Green Belt projects and expanded tree planting among provincial environmental initiatives. He also attributed the improvement specifically to the shutdown of some private generators, action against polluting vehicles, and the closure of unlicensed refineries. At the time, IQAir recorded Erbil’s PM2.5 concentration at 6.6 times the World Health Organization’s annual guideline value.

Erbil is also pursuing an eight-phase Green Belt project around the city designed to curb desertification, improve air quality, and reduce the effects of rising temperatures and dust storms. The project is expected to include around seven million trees.

Read more: Iraq’s Green Belt: The race to forestall desertification

The Erbil Provincial Council said in April that more than 500,000 olive trees had been planted in the Green Belt’s first phase, with olive and pistachio trees planned for the second phase.

Erbil’s updated 2025-2050 master plan, unveiled in September, also takes into account the environment, water, sanitation, education, and roads, alongside preserving Erbil’s history while planning for future growth.

Shafaq News- Erbil

The property market in Erbil, thecapital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, has effectively stalled after Iraqraised the official US dollar exchange rate, with prices for housing unitsunder construction expected to rise, real estate expert Sardar Azad told ShafaqNews on Wednesday.

Azad, who owns a real estate companyin Erbil, said no property transactions were recorded in the city on the firstday of the exchange-rate increase as buyers and sellers held off amiduncertainty over market conditions.

He attributed the expected increasein prices to higher costs for building materials and supplies, which are pricedin dollars, as well as additional costs associated with installment-based sales,advising residents to retain available cash, whether in dollars or dinars, andavoid rushing into financial decisions until market conditions become clearer.

Iraq’s Cabinet on Tuesday approved anew official exchange-rate structure following an emergency recommendation fromthe finance minister and Central Bank governor, setting the dollar at 1,500dinars for purchases from the Finance Ministry, 1,510 for sales to banks and1,520 for sales by banks and non-bank financial institutions to end users. Theadjustment raised the official rate for the public by 20,000 dinars per $100from the previous 132,000 dinars.

Before the decision, theparallel-market rate had climbed to around 165,000 dinars per $100 amidspeculation and expectations surrounding the exchange-rate change. OnWednesday, after the new rate took effect, the parallel rate rose further toaround 168,500 dinars per $100 in Baghdad and 168,200 in Erbil.

Read more:Can Iraq’s economy weather a wider regionalshock? Experts differ

Shafaq News-Erbil

TheKurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs onWednesday denied reports that it had received an air defense system.

The ministrysaid the reports, circulated by media outlets and social media accounts, hadbeen attributed to a ministry source, but stressed that no official source hadmade any statement on the matter.

Read more: Kurdistan faces air-defense gap as US troops leave Iraq

ShafaqNews- Erbil

A Germandelegation has visited the Rwanga Forest project in Erbil’s Dilopa-Kasnazanarea to review its olive-growing program.

During ameeting on Monday with the Rwanga Foundation team, the delegation discussed theproject’s environmental, economic and social achievements, along with prospectsfor broader cooperation in sustainable agriculture, environmental initiativesand knowledge exchange.

Implementedin coordination with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ),with support from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation andDevelopment (BMZ), the Kurdistan Regional Government and its Ministry ofAgriculture and Water Resources, the project spans 55 dunams in Kasnazan andincludes 20,000 Spanish olive trees.

It producesabout 400 tons of olives and 120 tons of olive oil annually, while creatingjobs for around 255 people, including women, young people and persons withdisabilities. Project organizers also estimate that the trees generate aboutfive million liters of oxygen per day for Erbil residents.

The RwangaFoundation continues to invest in the project annually and support itssustainability through its own resources and initiatives.

Founded in2013 and based in Erbil, the Rwanga Foundation is a non-governmentalorganization working to widen access to education and provide communityservices across Iraq. It says its education, youth, environment andvulnerable-groups programs have reached more than three million people.

1 Iraqidunam = 2,500 m²

Shafaq News- Erbil/ Al-Sulaymaniyah

Travelers departing from Erbil and Al-Sulaymaniyah internationalairports will soon be able to buy US dollars at Iraq's official exchange rate,after the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) approved the move, Iraqi lawmaker RebwarKarim told Shafaq News on Tuesday.

The approval followed a formal request by Karim, who representsAl-Sulaymaniyah in parliament, for the CBI to open branches at the two airportsin the Kurdistan Region to sell dollars to outbound travelers. Sales will beginat both airports in the coming days, he said.

Each traveler will be able to buy up to $2,000 at the official rate of1,320 dinars per dollar, according to Karim.

The official rate is far below the parallel market, where the dollarclosed on Tuesday at about 1,630 dinars, according to a Shafaq News marketsurvey. Economists have told Shafaq News that dollars sold to Iraqis at theofficial rate for travel, study, and medical treatment are a major source ofcash on the parallel market, where they are resold at a profit.

Read more: Why Iraq's dinar keeps sliding despite fresh US cash

Shafaq News- Erbil

A senior delegation from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) willtravel to Baghdad on Wednesday to press for a share of Iraq's 2027 federalbudget, with a focus on guaranteeing public-sector salaries, the KRG'sinformation department said on Tuesday.

The delegation will hold talks with Iraq's Federal Finance Ministry,aiming to reach a "shared and fair understanding" of the KurdistanRegion's financial and oil obligations and its budget entitlements.

The KRG has met its financial and oil obligations to Baghdad and willcontinue to do so in 2027, leaving no grounds to delay, halt or cut the entitlements,according to the department.

Read more: Erbil-Baghdad disputes: A cycle of missed opportunities

Salaries First

The talks will cover salaries and benefits for civil servants, Peshmergaforces, internal security forces and retirees, as well as payments to formerpolitical prisoners, families of those killed in past conflicts and socialwelfare recipients. They will also address the share of staffing allocations,operating budgets, investment projects and sovereign spending.

The delegation will seek to have salaries written clearly into the 2027budget law, so that the Kurdistan Region employees “receive the same treatmentas their counterparts elsewhere in Iraq, as affirmed by Iraq's Federal SupremeCourt.” It will also push to exempt salaries and core payments fromactual-spending limits and other restrictions that could delay or reduce them,and for a fixed mechanism to transfer the funds.

Read more: Iraq turns to bank borrowing to cover August salaries amid oil-revenue collapse

Weeks Of Talks

The visit is the latest in a series of Erbil-Baghdad meetings onsalaries and the 2027 budget. From September 8 to 11, a delegation led by theKRG's finance and natural resources ministers met Iraq's finance, planning, andoil ministers.

On October 4, two KRG teams traveled to Baghdad. One delivered Septemberpayroll lists for the employees and retirees, along with August accounts, tothe federal Finance Ministry to speed up payment. The other, led by Council ofMinisters office head Omed Sabah and cabinet secretary Amanj Rahim, beganpreliminary talks on the share of the 2027 budget.

Shafaq News- Erbil

More than 300 local and international companies and research centers are taking part in the seventh annual HITEX technology and innovation exhibition, which opened on Tuesday in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, exhibition supervisor Shiva Khalid told Shafaq News.

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani opened the event, which Khalid said will run for a “full week.” The KRG, she added, is participating through three main pavilions representing several ministries and showcasing technologies for humanitarian rescue, electronic administrative systems, and digital governance.

The Interior Ministry pavilion features technologies used by traffic police, fire services, and Civil Defense, including a drone capable of traveling 50 kilometers to assist in fighting fires in high-rise buildings, alongside communications and data-transfer systems. The technologies, Khalid said, keep pace with innovations used in countries including the United States and China.

The KRG Ministry of Trade and Industry is showcasing a company-registration system that allows any citizen to legally register a business and enter the formal sector in less than 30 minutes, she added.

HITEX also covers financial transaction systems and banking services, telecommunications, medicine, transportation, artificial intelligence, and smart-technology applications.

Read more: Erbil exhibition firms explore new investments in Iraq

Shafaq News- Duhok

Mine and explosives clearance teams continued work Tuesdayat the Balanda A minefield in Amedi district, northern Duhok province,removing a V69 mine from the site, Riker Besfki, a media official for theGeneral Directorate of Mine Affairs, told Shafaq News.

The minefield covers 100,095 square meters, of which 15,647square meters, or about 15%, have been cleared so far, Besfki said.

So far, the teams have located and removed 26 mines andother explosive items from the field, including five V69 mines, 16 Ts50 mines,two VS50 mines, one Vr40 mine and one POMZ mine, as well as one piece ofunexploded ordnance (UXO).

Clearance operations will continue as teams work to clearthe remaining areas and eliminate the hazards posed by mines and otherexplosive remnants, Besfki added.

Read more: Floods unearth Iraq’s hidden mines, reviving a wartime threat

Shafaq News- Erbil

Germany wants to strengthen relations and expand cooperation with theKurdistan Region, its new consul general, Christian Olfke, told KurdistanRegion President Nechirvan Barzani in Erbil on Tuesday, according to theKurdistan Region Presidency.

Barzani thanked Germany for its continued support, particularly in thefight against ISIS, as well as for its political and humanitarian assistance tothe Kurdistan Region.

سەرۆکی هەرێمی کوردستان پێشوازی لە کونسوڵی گشتیی نوێی ئەڵمانیا دەکاتhttps://t.co/JXlqSRxBvm https://t.co/rdeiVA9Tly

— Kurdistan Region Presidency (@KurdistanRegion) October 6, 2026

Shafaq News-Erbil

KurdistanRegion Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Tuesday called on the Iraqi governmentto supply the Kurdistan Region (KRI) with air defense systems to counterrecurring drone attacks, while ruling out a resurgence of ISIS after the US-ledcoalition's withdrawal.

"Wehave no fears of a security vacuum, but we have one important point: securingair defense systems for the Kurdistan Region," Barzani told reporters inErbil. The KRI needs help from its allies and is in continuous talks with themand with Baghdad to obtain the systems, he said, adding that once they are inplace, “the threats will disappear.”

Read more: Experts doubt Baghdad can stop Kurdistan Region attacks

“Iraqisecurity forces and the Peshmerga are well prepared to confront any threat,”Barzani said, dismissing concerns that ISIS could re-emerge.

The US-led Coalitionended its military mission in Iraq on September 30. Two days earlier, the KRI’sMinistry of Peshmerga Affairs warned that the withdrawal was taking place at a"sensitive time," saying it was worrying that the United States wasleaving without providing any defense system.

TheKurdistan Region has been hit by more than 1,000 drone, rocket, and missileattacks since February 28, some of which Barzani has blamed on Iran and“militias” inside Iraq.

Read more: Kurdistan Region faces air-defense gap as US troops leave Iraq

Shafaq News- Erbil

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani pledged on Tuesday toprotect the rights of Yazidis as the community began its main annualpilgrimage, the Jamaa feast.

"We will remain, as we have always been, the protectors anddefenders of their rights and aspirations," Barzani said in a message toYazidis in the Kurdistan Region, across Iraq and abroad. The Kurdistan Region,he added, would remain a place of peaceful coexistence for all communities.

Yazidis follow an ancient monotheistic faith and live mainly in northernIraq, in the Kurdistan Region and the Sinjar district of Nineveh province.Jamaa, or the Feast of the Assembly, runs for seven days at the Lalish Templein Duhok province, the faith's holiest site.

On Monday, Nineveh Governor Abdul Qader al-Dakhil gave Yazidi employeesin the province's government offices a week off, from October 6 to 13, to takepart in the celebrations.

Shafaq News- Al-Sulaymaniyah

Kurdistan Region (KRI) security forces dismantled cells affiliatedwith ISIS and arrested 22 suspects during a series of security operationsacross several areas, the Kurdistan Asayish Security Agency saidMonday.

In a statement, the agency said its General Directorate ofAsayish Operations carried out several operations over 96 hours based onintelligence and investigations conducted between September 8 and 12, 2026. The 22 suspects were arrested in Al-Sulaymaniyah, Halabja,Penjwin, Khormal and Sirwan. The agency identified them as members of the“Fifth Battalion” of what it called the Kurdistan Province of ISIS.

The cell members had been planning to reorganize their ranksand secure pledges of allegiance from other members, the statement said. Theirplans also included planting improvised explosive devices, carrying outbombings in Halabja Province, monitoring security forces and attacking themduring training exercises with medium and heavy weapons.

The plans also includedestablishing an “emirate” in the Hawraman or Sharazur areas, linking dormantISIS cells across the Kurdistan Region and Iraq with members of the groupoutside the country, and raising funds to purchase weapons.

Security forces seized one RPG launcher with three rocketsand five propellant charges, a mortar shell, six hand grenades, six AK-47rifles with 13 magazines and 300 rounds of ammunition, and two pistols with 100rounds, the statement said, adding that the seized items also included asurveillance camera, military binoculars, and military clothing and equipment.

Shafaq News- Duhok (Updated on Oct. 6, 2026)

Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) Prime Minister MasrourBarzani said Monday that relations with Iraq’s new government were movingtoward resolving more outstanding issues, stressing that the KRI's supportfor Baghdad depends on implementing the constitution and safeguarding therights of the Kurdish people.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony at the University ofDuhok, Barzani said that several outstanding issues with Baghdad had beenresolved, while others still required further work. He added that the end of the Global Coalition’s militarymission against ISIS would not end relations between the KRI and coalitioncountries, and those ties would instead take different forms.

Barzani thanked Coalition forces for supporting thePeshmerga in the fight against ISIS, emphasizing that the Kurdish force hadfought the group in some of the conflict’s most difficult battles. “Thepresence of the Peshmerga forces represents a source of protection and securityfor the Kurdistan Region.”

Turning to the formation of a new government andthe resumption of the Kurdistan Parliament’s work, Barzani said that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) had calledfor parliament to convene and the government formation process to begin sincethe day after the elections.

Barzani affirmed that the KRG remained readyto cooperate with all political parties that won votes and securedrepresentation in parliament to reactivate the legislature and form a newgovernment.

He said that the government should reflect the electionresults, and his party, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), was prepared to make concessions in theinterests of the people of the Kurdistan Region, as well as stability andreconstruction.

Shafaq News- Al-Sulaymaniyah

Counter-terrorism forces arrested a wanted terrorism suspectfollowing an intelligence-led security operation, the General Directorate ofCounter-Terrorism said on Monday.

After the collapse of ISIS, the suspect moved toAl-Sulaymaniyah and settled there but remained active with the group within theprovince until his arrest, according to the directorate.

The suspect’s father was an ISIS commander who led amilitary unit in the group’s so-called North Baghdad Province before laterbecoming its governor of Fallujah. He was killed in an airstrike in Abu Ghraib,while one of the suspect’s brothers was killed by security forces in Al-Nibai.

Last month, the Kurdistan Region’s security agency said thatsecurity forces arrested 22 suspected ISIS members in Al-Sulaymaniyah andHalabja, including an alleged senior religious official.

Shafaq News-Al-Sulaymaniyah

Pharmacists in theKurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) have called on Baghdad and Erbil to end morethan a decade of hiring delays for pharmacy graduates, warning that the lack ofjobs is hurting both young professionals and health services.

During a pressconference Monday, Rehel Farhad Ali, general representative of unappointedpharmacists, said the delays have left thousands of graduates without permanent jobs after years of study and specialization, while their families continue tobear the financial burden of their education.

“Pharmacists are akey part of medical teams, helping ensure medicines are used safely andcorrectly,” he said, noting that their work helps prevent medication errors,reduce waste and improve patient care.

Read more: Iraq’s Pharmaceutical Crisis: shortages, counterfeit drugs, and ineffective reforms

Ali urgedauthorities to include job positions and funding for pharmacy graduates in the2027 budget, with hiring based on years since graduation. He also proposedtemporary contracts with equal salaries and employment rights, includingrecognition of service periods, until permanent positions become available.

“Hospitals andhealth centers should also fill vacant pharmacy posts,” he stressed, notingthat even qualified graduates remain without jobs.

Beyondrecruitment, Ali called for tighter oversight of the pharmacy sector, withpharmacists taking a greater role in monitoring medicines, their quality andprices, as well as efforts to curb smuggled and substandard drugs. He alsoproposed a joint committee bringing together representatives from the federaland Kurdistan Regional governments, the Pharmacists Syndicate and unappointedpharmacists to determine the number of graduates and assess staffing needsacross health institutions.

“Authoritiesshould align admissions to pharmacy colleges with labor market needs,” Alisaid, seeking to prevent the number of graduates from continuing to outpaceavailable jobs.

Read more: $45B deficit looms over Iraq’s draft 2027 budget

Shafaq News- Erbil

Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani on Sunday urged Kurds to rely on themselves, saying no one would protect them if they failed to do so.

At the closing ceremony of the KDP’s 20th cadre-training course in Erbil, Barzani said, “We want to have the best relations. We are not enemies of Iran, Turkiye or any other country,” expressing hope that the war would end and peace would prevail in the region.

Erbil-Baghdad ties

Barzani said relations with the federal government were currently good and that the Kurdistan Region was seeking its rights under Iraq’s Constitution.

“We are not asking for more than what is in the Constitution, and we will not accept less than what it provides,” he said.

Barzani warned that failure to implement a political agreement signed before the current federal government was formed would force the KDP to reconsider its position.

The agreement was signed by Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and Badr Organization Secretary-General Hadi Al-Ameri on behalf of Iraq's Shiite Coordination Framework (CF), parliament's largest bloc. It covers several outstanding issues between Baghdad and Erbil, including political partnership, the Kurdistan Region’s constitutional rights, Article 140 and the federal oil and gas law.

Baghdad and Erbil also continue talks over the Kurdistan Region’s federal budget share and oil and gas issues. In September, the Kurdistan Regional Government rejected a proposed 12.67% share of Iraq’s 2027 federal budget and sought 14%.

Read more: Into 2026, Baghdad and Erbil face the same disputes

Shafaq News- Erbil

The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Department of Foreign Relations on Sunday denied remarks attributed to its head, Safeen Dizayee, regarding tree cutting along the border with Turkiye, calling the circulated comments “completely fabricated.”

In a statement, the department said some websites and social media platforms had circulated a claim in recent days alleging that Dizayee said the tree cutting was taking place with the KRG’s knowledge.

“All statements attributed to the head of the department are baseless and completely fabricated,” it said, adding that Dizayee had made no such remarks.

The department recalled comments Dizayee made to Voice of America’s Kurdish service on June 7, 2021, in which he described tree cutting in border areas as “illegal and unacceptable” and contrary to diplomatic norms and good-neighborly relations.

“We expressed our protest to the Turkish side through several private and official channels,” Dizayee said at the time.

The department urged media outlets and social media platforms to exercise greater accuracy and avoid spreading material that could “distort facts and create mistrust in society.”

Shafaq News- London/ Erbil

British businessman and philanthropist Lord MichaelAshcroft described the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) as a peaceful andprosperous part of the Middle East, warning that the withdrawal of US forcescould leave the KRI more exposed to attacks, the Express reported.

Writing for the British newspaper after a four-day visit toErbil at the invitation of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Ashcroft saidhe was struck by the Kurdistan Region’s modern development, economic activityand coexistence among different ethnic and religious communities.

According to the Express, the KRI has faced more than 1,000drone and missile attacks since February, with more than 30 people killed andover 150 injured.

During his visit, Ashcroft met Kurdistan Region PresidentNechirvan Barzani, KDP President, Leader Masoud Barzani and Prime MinisterMasrour Barzani, who all voiced concerns about the impact of the US militarywithdrawal.

“I fear the scenario of 2014 [the ISIS arrival] mayreturn,” Masoud Barzani told him, referring to the militant group’s advanceacross parts of Iraq including the Kurdistan Region.

Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said Erbil remainsvulnerable to aerial attacks and lacks adequate air defences.

“We are not after hand-outs or boots on the ground, but weare powerless and defenceless against air attacks. We are on our own in ahostile environment,” he told Ashcroft.

Despite the security concerns, Ashcroft praised the KRI’smodern cities, historic sites, mountains and investment opportunities. Hevisited Erbil Citadel and the Martyrs’ Memorial and described tourism andforeign investment as areas with significant potential.

The Express report also traced Kurdistan’s long history ofconflict, from Saddam Hussein’s campaign against the Kurds to the fight againstISIS, while noting Erbil’s efforts to maintain relations with its neighbours.

Former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who visitedthe KRI in 2015, described it as “an oasis in the turmoil.” Ashcroft said heshared that assessment and expressed hope that it would eventually achieve thefuture its people seek.

To continue reading, click here.

Shafaq News- Al-Sulaymaniyah

The Kurdistan Green Party filed a formal complaint with Iraq’s Parliament on Sunday seeking an investigation into alleged environmental damage in the Kurdistan Region and other parts of Iraq linked to cross-border activities from Turkiye, party leader Malako Baziani said.

Baziani told a press conference that the complaint seeks a parliamentary and technical investigation to determine the nature and scale of any damage, its causes and those responsible.

He said evidence, reports and other information available to the party indicated that the activities may have harmed forests, water resources, ecosystems and biodiversity in parts of the Kurdistan Region and elsewhere in Iraq.

“The Kurdistan Region’s environment is an integral part of Iraq’s environment and natural wealth,” Baziani said, arguing that protecting it is a national responsibility encompassing land, surface and groundwater, and biodiversity.

The complaint cites Articles 33 and 114 of the Iraqi Constitution, which cover environmental rights and shared federal-Regional responsibility for environmental policy, as well as Environmental Protection and Improvement Law No. 27 of 2009.

The party asked Parliament to formally register the complaint, refer it to the relevant committees and preserve evidence including photographs, recordings, maps, data and technical reports for expert assessment.

It also called for the environment minister and other relevant government officials to appear before Parliament and explain measures taken to protect natural resources in the Kurdistan Region and across Iraq.

Baziani urged the federal and Kurdistan Regional governments to prepare a joint technical assessment of the alleged environmental impact.

If an investigation confirms environmental damage or legal violations, he said, Baghdad should take diplomatic and legal action toward the Turkish government to stop the damage, address its effects and prevent its recurrence.

The party also called for Iraq to use available international legal and diplomatic mechanisms to protect its environmental and water rights in disputes involving transboundary water resources.

Read more: Kurdistan’s forests under threat: War, climate, and efforts to rebuild

Turkiye maintains military positions in parts of northern Iraq as part of its campaign against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a presence that has repeatedly drawn objections from Baghdad over Iraqi sovereignty.

The Turkish military is currently moving toward a gradual withdrawal from the Bashiqa-Zilkan base near Mosul. Baghdad and Ankara agreed in September to transfer the base to Iraqi control under an agreed mechanism and timetable, and Turkiye’s Defense Ministry confirmed the planned handover on Oct. 1. No date has been announced for its completion.

Shafaq News- Duhok

Joint inspection teams in Duhok seized about 6.3 tons of expired alcoholic drinks from a warehouse in Shariya, Semel district, after a month-long investigation, a provincial government source told Shafaq News on Saturday.

The seized stock consisted of a Russian-made alcoholic beverage, part of which had already been sold gradually through local alcohol shops, according to the source.

Authorities confiscated the remaining stock after confirming it had expired and transported it to the Kashi landfill for destruction.

The warehouse was closed, and legal action was taken against its owner and anyone found to have been involved in storing or distributing the expired products.