The Iraqi government is looking to gain control of Iranian-aligned armed groups that operate inside of Iraq but outside state control, in yet another sign of Iran's weakened position since October 7.

Pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, collectively part of the Hashd al Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units), face increasing calls to place their arms under state control or lay them down entirely. The fall of the Assad regime,

Iran holds tremendous sway inside Iraq despite the presence of US troops, setting up a tug-of-war for the incoming Trump administration.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will visit Iraq on Sunday for talks with officials on the fight against Kurdish militants, security issues and bilateral ties, a Turkish diplomatic source said on Saturday.

ERBIL (Kurdistn24) – Iraq’s Ministry of Migration and Displaced announced on Saturday that Syrian displaced persons in Iraq, especially in the Kurdistan Region, are free to return to Syria following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

The new leadership of the country said the rebel coalition leader, Ahmed al-Shara, would serve as president during a transitional period.

Aspiring spy boss Tulsi Gabbard defended most of her controversial foreign policy takes during a lively Senate hearing Thursday, including her meeting with former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and her prior doubts about the legitimacy of US intelligence on his use of chemical weapons against his own people.

Trump’s nominee for director of intelligence said, under oath, that she was not aware “until today” that a prominent cleric she met in Syria threatened to unleash suicide bombers in the United States.

Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump ’s nominee for director of national intelligence, was repeatedly asked to explain why she sought a pardon for Edward Snowden, the former government contractor who leaked thousands of classified documents revealing the scope of the nation’s surveillance programs.

Gabbard was questioned by Republicans and Democrats alike on her views of Snowden and whether she believes he was a traitor. She declined to say she believed he was a traitor, repeating that she felt he had broken the law and reiterating a point that she has made in the past, that he exposed practices that have resulted in the reform of 702.

Trump's pick to head U.S. intelligence has broken with its assessments several times since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Amid historical changes in the balance of power in the Middle East, at least one thing remains constant: the strategic importance of the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan.