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Iraq, Türkiye Near Agreement on ‘Security Corridor’... Plus Water, Energy Deal

Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan arrives to meet with Iraq's Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, in Baghdad, Iraq, March 14, 2024. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad
Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan arrives to meet with Iraq's Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, in Baghdad, Iraq, March 14, 2024. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad
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Iraq, Türkiye Near Agreement on ‘Security Corridor’... Plus Water, Energy Deal

Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan arrives to meet with Iraq's Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, in Baghdad, Iraq, March 14, 2024. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad
Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan arrives to meet with Iraq's Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, in Baghdad, Iraq, March 14, 2024. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad

A high-ranking Turkish delegation held talks in Baghdad on Thursday to plan a major military operation in northern Iraq against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), according to Iraqi sources.

Turkish officials also discussed creating a “buffer zone” within Iraq’s borders.

Iraqi sources also revealed that political support could be provided for the operation in exchange for deals on water and energy resources.

Turkish sources suggested that the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in Iraq might be involved in the operation.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yasar Guler and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin attended the talks with their Iraqi counterparts.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein hosted Fidan for discussions on countering terrorism.

According to a press release, they planned “political consultations.” The Iraqi embassy in Ankara stated that the Turkish delegation attended a security meeting focused on “counterterrorism cooperation.”

A Turkish Defense Ministry official mentioned discussions about “operations against the banned PKK in Iraq,” reported Reuters.

Ankara has stepped up cross-border actions against the PKK in northern Iraq, warning against further incursions.

The conflict was long fought mainly in rural areas of southeastern Türkiye but is now more focused on the mountains of northern Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, where PKK fighters are based.

Iraq has previously protested these operations as violations of its sovereignty, but Ankara argues they are necessary for border protection.

Discussions are underway for turning areas with Turkish military bases in the Iraqi Kurdistan region into a “security corridor” covering PKK-active regions, including the Qandil Mountains, Iraqi sources revealed.

Officials at the Iraqi Prime Minister’s office declined to comment on the matter.

However, a leader in the “Coordination Framework” alliance said Baghdad and Ankara share common concerns about PKK risks, fearing its activity could impede development efforts.

Last week, Türkiye’s Defense Minister mentioned plans to establish a security belt in Iraq to tackle the PKK.

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Arab World

Family of Tunisian Lawyer Ahmed Souab Announces His Release

The Tunisian flag flies over the Palace of Justice building in the capital, Tunis, on May 13, 2024 (Reuters).
The Tunisian flag flies over the Palace of Justice building in the capital, Tunis, on May 13, 2024 (Reuters).
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Family of Tunisian Lawyer Ahmed Souab Announces His Release

The Tunisian flag flies over the Palace of Justice building in the capital, Tunis, on May 13, 2024 (Reuters).
The Tunisian flag flies over the Palace of Justice building in the capital, Tunis, on May 13, 2024 (Reuters).

The family of prominent Tunisian lawyer Ahmed Souab said the Court of Appeal decided on Monday to release him.

Souab, a strong critic of President Kais Saied, had been serving a five-year prison sentence.

Tunisia’s judicial counterterrorism unit issued a warrant in April 2025 ordering the imprisonment of the well-known lawyer after he criticized the judiciary during the trial of a number of politicians accused in the “conspiracy against state security” case.

Arab World

US Pulling Non-essential Staff from Embassy in Beirut amid Iran Tensions

The new US embassy in Lebanon (US embassy Beirut Twitter account)
The new US embassy in Lebanon (US embassy Beirut Twitter account)
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US Pulling Non-essential Staff from Embassy in Beirut amid Iran Tensions

The new US embassy in Lebanon (US embassy Beirut Twitter account)
The new US embassy in Lebanon (US embassy Beirut Twitter account)

The State Department is pulling out non-essential government personnel and their eligible family members from the US embassy in Beirut, a senior State Department official said on Monday, amid growing concerns about the risk of a military conflict with Iran.

"We continuously assess the security environment, and based on our latest review, we determined it prudent to reduce our footprint to essential personnel," said a senior State Department official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

"The Embassy remains operational with core staff in place. This is a temporary measure intended to ensure the safety of our personnel while maintaining our ability to operate and assist US citizens," the official said, AFP reported.

A source at the US embassy said 50 people had been evacuated, while an official at Beirut airport said 32 embassy staff, along with family members, had flown out of Beirut airport on Monday.

The US has built up its military presence in the Middle East, with President Donald Trump warning on Thursday that "really bad things will happen" if no deal is reached to solve a longstanding dispute over Tehran's nuclear program.

US interests were repeatedly targeted in Lebanon in the 1980s during the 1975-90 civil war, during which the US held the Iran-backed Hezbollah responsible for attacks including the 1983 suicide bombing against the US Marines headquarters in Beirut that killed 241 servicemen, and a 1983 suicide attack on the US embassy in Beirut that killed 49 embassy staff.

 

 

 

Arab World

Morocco Flood Evacuees Mark Muted Ramadan Away from Home

© Abdel Majid BZIOUAT / AFP
© Abdel Majid BZIOUAT / AFP
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Morocco Flood Evacuees Mark Muted Ramadan Away from Home

© Abdel Majid BZIOUAT / AFP
© Abdel Majid BZIOUAT / AFP

When floods forced Ahmed El Habachi out of his Moroccan village, he thought the displacement was temporary. Weeks later, he broke his Ramadan fast in a tent, wondering when he would return home.

During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, families traditionally gather over joyous feasts to break the daytime fast.

But the floods that battered northwestern Morocco in recent weeks have left evacuees like Habachi with little to celebrate.

"We prepare Iftar with whatever we can lay our hands on," the 37-year-old told AFP, referring to the fast-breaking meal.

"After all, it's not like we're home," he said, standing outside his blue tent marked "B190" in a makeshift camp set up by authorities near the city of Kenitra.

Just before sunset, women gathered around small stoves. They made do with no running water, and soon the smell of grilled fish wafted through the site.

The families then retreated to their tents for Iftar, with candles providing light for lack of electricity.

The heavy downpours have displaced over 180,000 people as of last week, authorities said, with at least four people killed.

- 'Two or three months' -

Most evacuees in the region have been allowed to return home, but that was not yet an option for Habachi and his children.

"Where would we sleep? There's still mud up to the knees," he said, showing cell phone videos of his home in Ouled Amer, some 35 kilometres (22 miles) away.

He said flooding from a nearby river swept away half of the walls of his house.

"We'll need two or three months to get back to normal," he added.

The camp managers serve each family water and a bag of rice per day.

Fatima Laaouj, 60, said this year's Ramadan was "nothing like what we were used to".

"We lack everything: bread, harira (traditional soup), milk... How can we buy anything when we have no money?" said Laaouj, who picks raspberries for a living.

"We don't have work anymore. The farmland is all destroyed," she added.

Not far from the camp, in the town of Mograne which was swamped by the neighboring Sebou River, villagers still waded through deep mud.

Several homes showed signs of flooding, with walls torn open and floors soaked.

Families had left their belongings stored on top of wardrobes out of fear the water could rise again.

- 'Usually, there's joy' -

After two weeks at the camp, 42-year-old Yamna Chtata returned to find her home turned into a pool of mud, with walls threatening to collapse.

Her voice choked with sobs, she said she was forced to observe Ramadan out of her own home for the first time in the two decades she has lived there.

"We are not celebrating... I have two daughters who are unwell because of the severity of the situation," she said.

Mansour Amrani, a 59-year-old factory security guard, was on his way to the local mosque to fetch drinking water.

That day, he planned to make couscous for his wife and three daughters to break the fast.

"Usually, there's joy when we make couscous," he said. "Today, it's no longer the case. We're afraid the house will collapse on our heads."

Abdelmajid Lekihel, a 49-year-old street vendor, believed it would take time for things to return to normal.

"Food products are no longer available like before," he said, adding that shortages at the local market made preparing the traditional Ramadan meals difficult.

Plus, lingering mud "prevents us from going to see a neighbour, a family member, a friend", he said.

"We're living one day at a time."