Kurdish leader: No turning back on independence bid

Iraq's Kurdish leader said that there was no turning back on a bid to achieve an independent Kurdish state, but he would pursue it through dialogue with Baghdad and regional powers to avoid conflict.

Rosneft, Iraqi Kurds agree to expand cooperation

Russian oil company Rosneft and northern Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) signed Friday a series of agreements on widening their cooperation in exploration and production of hydrocarbons, commerce and logistics, Rosneft said in a press release.

Iraqi Kurdistan's President Urges PKK to Leave City of Sinjar

Iraqi Kurdistan Region's President Masoud Barzani recalled on the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) on Friday to leave the Yazidi city of Sinjar located in northern Iraq.

Rival Kurdish groups clash in Iraq's Sinjar region

Clashes broke out between rival Kurdish groups in northwestern Iraq after a force loyal to one party was deployed to an area controlled by another.

KRG would declare independence if Maliki becomes Iraqi PM again, Barzani warns

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Massoud Barzani said that he would declare independence right away if former Prime Minister and currently disputed Vice President Nouri al-Maliki became the country's prime minister again.

War-Weary Iraqi Kurds Seek Independence 'As a Result of the Peace Process'

The issue of creating an independent Iraqi Kurdistan will be actively discussed after the end of the Mosul operation, Ali Avni of the Kurdistan Democratic Party told Sputnik Turkey.

Iraq says Turkey relations cannot improve without troop withdrawal : Long-Term Occupation of Iraq

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Tuesday relations with northern neighbor Turkey could "not move forward one step" without a withdrawal of Turkish forces from a camp in northern Iraq, state television reported.

Turkey in Iraq’s Bashiqa out of necessity: PM Yildirim

Turkey is in Iraq’s Bashiqa out of necessity, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told his Iraqi counterpart Haidar al-Abadi during his visit to the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on Saturday.

Kurds deny forcing Arabs from Iraq's Kirkuk

Kurdish authorities in northern Iraq have rejected accusations by a rights group that their forces destroyed Arab homes and forced residents from the ethnically mixed city of Kirkuk.

Iraqi PM, Kurdish leader agree on plan to retake Mosul

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Masoud Barzani, president of northern Iraq’s Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), have agreed on a military plan to retake the Daesh-held city of Mosul.

Iraq: Turkish troops transferred from Bashiqa Camp

A number of Turkish troops stationed at Bashiqa Camp near Mosul on Dec. 14 were transferred to a region under the control of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq, Turkish sources told Hürriyet Daily News.

Turkish military to have a base in Iraq's Mosul. At least 150 Turkish soldiers, accompanied by 20-25 tanks ...

Turkey will have a permanent military base in the Bashiqa region of Mosul as the Turkish forces in the region training the Peshmerga forces have been reinforced, Hürriyet reported.

Israel meets three-quarters of oil demand from KRG via Turkey (Report)

Israel has reportedly purchased as much as 77 percent of its oil supplies from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq, providing them with an essential source of funding in their campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a new report in the Financial Times revealed on Aug. 24.

Turkey plays 'key role' in Iraqi Kurdish oil

 Turkey played a key role in transferring Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) oil to the international market, Turkey's energy minister said on Saturday.

Kurdish regional government to raise oil exports to Turkey

Iraq's regional Kurdish government will increase its oil exports to Turkey and deliver up to 625,000 barrels per day starting from June, an official from the Kurdish parliament announced Wednesday. 

The Kurdistan Regional Government is ready to support Iraqi troops in their Mosul operation

The Kurdistan Regional Government is ready to support Iraqi troops in their Mosul operation when required, KRG's President Masoud Barzani has said.

Canadian soldier in anti-ISIS coalition killed in Iraq by friendly fire

TORONTO - A Canadian soldier was killed on Friday in a friendly fire incident in Iraq, Canada's defense department said on Saturday, in the first fatality for the country during its current military mission there.

Three other Canadian soldiers were injured.

ISIL/ISIS is making $1 million a day by smuggling, (via Turkey and Iraq), says former US energy envoy

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is a huge terrorist organization making $1 million day by smuggling oil via Turkey and Iraq, warned a former U.S. envoy on energy.

“Thinking about how to close the borders to smuggling is critical in the fight against ISIL,” said Carlos Pascual, a former U.S. ambassador and special coordinator for international energy affairs, at the Atlantic Council Energy and Economics Summit, which began yesterday.

Iraq: Baghdad, Erbil agree to resolve oil export issue

 Iraq’s federal government and the semiautonomous Kurdish Regional Government have agreed to resolve all outstanding issues between them, including the crucial issue of oil exports, it was announced Thursday.

According to a statement published on the Kurdish Regional Government’s Arabic website, Iraq’s Federal Oil Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi met with Prime Minister of the Kurdish Regional Government Nechirvan Barzani and Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani in Erbil.

Kurdish forces retake north Iraqi town from Islamic State, security sources say

Kurdish regional forces retook the northern Iraqi town of Zumar and several nearby villages from Islamic State insurgents on Saturday, security sources said.

A Kurdish intelligence officer in Zumar said peshmerga forces had advanced from five directions in the early morning after coalition air strikes on Islamic State positions. The Kurdish forces encountered fierce resistance before prevailing.