Qassim Abdul-Zahra, Author at Daily Hampshire Gazette

** FILE ** The toppled statue of Saddam Hussein is seen in Firdos Square downtown Baghdad in this April 9, 2003 file photo. The statue was taken down by a US marines and Iraqis as American troops entered the capital. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay/File)

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Saddam’s image scrubbed from Baghdad

by Kareem Chehayeb Associated Press, and Qassim Abdul-Zahra Associated PressApril 9, 2023

BAGHDAD — Of his countless stories of his life as a hairdresser in Iraq, the one Qaiss al-Sharaa most enjoys retelling is about the day April 9, 2003, when he watched Iraqis and American Marines pull down the statue of Saddam Hussein in front of his…

Relatives attend a funeral of a man killed during clashes with security in Baghdad during his funeral in Najaf, Iraq, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022. An influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announced Monday that he will resign from Iraqi politics, and hundreds of his angry followers responded by storming the government palace. The move sparked violent clashes with security forces in which at least 15 protesters were killed. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil)

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Iraqis heed cleric’s plea to leave streets

by Samya Kullab Associated Press, and Qassim Abdul-Zahra Associated PressAugust 30, 2022

Iraqi security forces prevent protesters from entering the Federal Court during a demonstration in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Aug. 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

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Clashes kill 15 in Iraq after Shiite cleric resigns from government

by Qassim Abdul-Zahra Associated Press, and Samya Kullab Associated PressAugust 29, 2022

Iraqi protesters fill the parliament building in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, July 31, 2022. Thousands of followers of an influential Shiite cleric stormed into Iraq's parliament on Saturday, for the second time in a week, protesting government formation efforts led by his rivals, an alliance of Iran-backed groups. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil)

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Cleric’s followers camp out for 2nd day in Iraqi parliament

by Samya Kullab Associated Press, and Qassim Abdul-Zahra Associated PressJuly 31, 2022

Iraqi Security forces close the heavily fortified Green Zone as they tightened security measures hours after the assassination attempt on the Prime Minister in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi survived an assassination attempt with armed drones that targeted his residence early Sunday and officials said he escaped unharmed. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

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Failed coup raises tension in Iraq

by Qassim Abdul-Zahra Associated PressNovember 7, 2021

Populist Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, center, arrives to a polling center to vote in the parliamentary elections in Najaf, Iraq, Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021. Iraq closed its airspace and land border crossings on Sunday as voters headed to the polls to elect a parliament that many hope will deliver much needed reforms after decades of conflict and mismanagement. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil)

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Youth boycott, apathy mar Iraqi vote

by Qassim Abdul-Zahra Associated PressOctober 10, 2021

President Joe Biden, right, speaks as Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi listens during their meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Monday.

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Biden: US combat mission in Iraq to conclude this year

by Robert Burns Associated Press, Aamer Madhani Associated Press, and Qassim Abdul-Zahra Associated PressJuly 26, 2021

FILE - In this Feb. 23, 2017 file photo, U.S. Army soldiers stand outside their armored vehicle on a joint base with the Iraqi army, south of Mosul, Iraq. As Iraqi forces push into western Mosul coalition troops are closer to frontline fighting than ever before. The Iraqi government has told its military not to seek assistance from the U.S.-led coalition forces in operations against the Islamic State group, two senior Iraqi military officials said. The move comes amid a crisis of...

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Iraq looks to minimize reliance on US

by Qassim Abdul-Zahra Associated Press, and Samya Kullab Associated PressFebruary 5, 2020

FILE - In this Sept. 18, 2016, file photo provided by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, center, attends a meeting in Tehran, Iran. Iraqi TV and three Iraqi officials said Friday, Jan. 3, 2020, that Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, has been killed in an airstrike at Baghdad’s international airport. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP, File)

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Pentagon says US airstrike killed powerful Iranian general

by Qassim Abdul-Zahra Associated Press, and Zeina Karam Associated PressJanuary 2, 2020

An Iraqi soldier stands guard in front of smoke rising from a fire set by pro-Iranian militiamen and their supporters in the U.S. embassy compound, Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2020. U.S. troops fired tear gas on Wednesday as hundreds of Iran-backed militiamen and other protesters gathered outside the American Embassy in Baghdad for a second day and set fire to the roof of a reception area inside the compound. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

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Militiamen pull back from US Embassy compound in Baghdad

by Qassim Abdul-Zahra Associated Press, and Joseph Krauss Associated PressJanuary 1, 2020