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Iraq, Kurdistan Region Discuss Disputed Areas, Federal Budget

Iraqi President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid received a Kurdistan delegation headed by the region's interior minister, Reber Ahmed, in Baghdad (INA)
Iraqi President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid received a Kurdistan delegation headed by the region's interior minister, Reber Ahmed, in Baghdad (INA)
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Iraq, Kurdistan Region Discuss Disputed Areas, Federal Budget

Iraqi President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid received a Kurdistan delegation headed by the region's interior minister, Reber Ahmed, in Baghdad (INA)
Iraqi President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid received a Kurdistan delegation headed by the region's interior minister, Reber Ahmed, in Baghdad (INA)

A security delegation from the federal government arrived in Erbil Sunday, while another one assigned by the regional government arrived in Baghdad to discuss outstanding issues.

The regional government delegation seeks to discuss the most pressing issues, including the 2023 budget, the disputed share of the region, and other topics such as the oil and gas law and the election law.

Meanwhile, the security delegation, headed by the Chief of Staff of the Army, Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Yarallah, arrived in Erbil to restore the relationship in the disputed areas.

Observers believe the dispute between the two main Kurdish parties in the region, the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, would negatively affect the area's citizens.

They indicated that any discussions with Baghdad would not benefit the Kurdish people, who are no longer unified towards Baghdad.

The spokesman for the deputy prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Samir Hawrami, said during a press conference in Sulaymaniyah that the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan team decided to boycott all cabinet meetings but continue to provide services to citizens.

Hawrami explained that the team has issues with the government management in the Kurdistan region, adding that the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan met to discuss and solve these issues, which did not yield any results.

The spokesman stressed that the problem with the administration was about providing services to citizens, noting that no date has yet been set for the upcoming meeting between the two parties to complete the discussions.

Furthermore, KRG spokesman, Jutiar Adel, said that a high-level Kurdish delegation arrived in Baghdad to resume dialogue on the most important outstanding issues, notably the federal budget and the oil and gas law.

The delegation would first discuss the latest developments in the federal budget law and the region's share in it, the oil and gas law, Article 140, and compensation for the Kurdistan region's people affected by the previous regime's policies.

The delegation would remain in Baghdad for several days to discuss these issues, said the spokesman, adding that they hope they would benefit the Kurdistan region through the negotiations.

For his part, the President of the Diwan of Council of Ministers, Umed Sabah, confirmed that the visit to Baghdad comes within the framework of the official visits of the regional government aiming to reach an agreement on the oil and gas law, the budget and financial dues for the Kurdistan region, and other issues.

The financial budget was supposed to reach parliament before February for discussion and ratification, but the government announced it reconsidered the budget after the decision to reduce the exchange rate and the start of talks between Iraq, Türkiye, and the US.

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Arab World

UN: At Least 15 Children Killed in Sudan Drone Strike

The war in Sudan, ongoing since mid-April 2023, has caused extensive destruction across the country (AFP)
The war in Sudan, ongoing since mid-April 2023, has caused extensive destruction across the country (AFP)
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UN: At Least 15 Children Killed in Sudan Drone Strike

The war in Sudan, ongoing since mid-April 2023, has caused extensive destruction across the country (AFP)
The war in Sudan, ongoing since mid-April 2023, has caused extensive destruction across the country (AFP)

A drone strike on a displacement camp in Sudan killed at least 15 children earlier this week, the United Nations reported late on Wednesday.

"On Monday 16 February, at least 15 children were reportedly killed and 10 wounded after a drone strike on a displacement camp in Al Sunut, West Kordofan," the UN children's agency said in a statement.

Across the Kordofan region, currently the Sudan war's fiercest battlefield, "we are seeing the same disturbing patterns from Darfur -- children killed, injured, displaced and cut off from the services they need to survive," UNICEF's Executive Director Catherine Russell said.

Arab World

MSF Will Keep Operating in Gaza 'as Long as We Can'

(FILES) A Palestinian man walks on his crutches to the Doctors Without Borders or Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) clinic, in the al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City on new year's Eve, December 31, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
(FILES) A Palestinian man walks on his crutches to the Doctors Without Borders or Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) clinic, in the al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City on new year's Eve, December 31, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
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MSF Will Keep Operating in Gaza 'as Long as We Can'

(FILES) A Palestinian man walks on his crutches to the Doctors Without Borders or Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) clinic, in the al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City on new year's Eve, December 31, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
(FILES) A Palestinian man walks on his crutches to the Doctors Without Borders or Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) clinic, in the al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City on new year's Eve, December 31, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

The head of Doctors Without Borders in the Palestinian territories told AFP the charity would continue working in Gaza for as long as possible, following an Israeli decision to end its activities there.

In early February, Israel announced it was terminating all the activities in Gaza by the medical charity, known by its French acronym MSF, after it failed to provide a list of its Palestinian staff.

MSF has slammed the move, which takes effect on March 1, as a "pretext" to obstruct aid.

"For the time being, we are still working in Gaza, and we plan to keep running our operations as long as we can," Filipe Ribeiro told AFP in Amman, but said operations were already facing challenges.

"Since the beginning of January, we are not anymore in the capacity to get international staff inside Gaza. The Israeli authorities actually denied any entry to Gaza, but also to the West Bank," he said.

Ribeiro added that MSF's ability to bring medical supplies into Gaza had also been impacted.

"They're not allowed for now, but we have some stocks in our pharmacies that will allow us to keep running operations for the time being," he said.

"We do have teams in Gaza that are still working, both national and international, and we have stocks."

In December, Israel announced it would prevent 37 aid organizations, including MSF, from working in Gaza from March 1 for failing to submit detailed information about their Palestinian employees, drawing widespread condemnation from NGOs and the United Nations.

It had alleged that two MSF employees had links with Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which the medical charity has repeatedly and vehemently denied.

MSF says it did not provide the names of its Palestinian staff because Israeli authorities offered no assurances regarding their safety.

Ribeiro warned of the massive impact the termination of MSF's operations would have for healthcare in war-shattered Gaza.

"MSF is one of the biggest actors when it comes to the health provision in Gaza and the West Bank, and if we are obliged to leave, then we will create a huge void in Gaza," he said.

The charity says it currently provides at least 20 percent of hospital beds in the territory and operates around 20 health centers.

In 2025 alone, it carried out more than 800,000 medical consultations, treated more than 100,000 trauma cases and assisted more than 10,000 infant deliveries.

Arab World

Egyptian-Turkish Military Talks Focus on Strengthening Partnership

The Commander of the Egyptian Air Force during his meeting with the Turkish Air Force chief in Cairo on Wednesday (Egyptian military spokesperson)
The Commander of the Egyptian Air Force during his meeting with the Turkish Air Force chief in Cairo on Wednesday (Egyptian military spokesperson)
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Egyptian-Turkish Military Talks Focus on Strengthening Partnership

The Commander of the Egyptian Air Force during his meeting with the Turkish Air Force chief in Cairo on Wednesday (Egyptian military spokesperson)
The Commander of the Egyptian Air Force during his meeting with the Turkish Air Force chief in Cairo on Wednesday (Egyptian military spokesperson)

Senior Egyptian and Turkish air force commanders met in Cairo on Wednesday for talks focused on strengthening military partnership and expanding bilateral cooperation, in the latest sign of warming defense ties between the two countries.

The meeting brought together the Commander of the Egyptian Air Force, Lt. Gen. Amr Saqr, and his Turkish counterpart, Gen. Ziya Cemal Kadioglu, to review a range of issues of mutual interest amid growing cooperation between the two air forces.

Egypt’s military spokesperson said the talks reflect the Armed Forces’ commitment to deepening military collaboration with friendly and partner nations.

Earlier this month, Egypt and Türkiye signed a military cooperation agreement during talks in Cairo between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and his Turkish counterpart, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Sisi highlighted similar viewpoints on regional and international issues, while Erdogan noted that enhanced cooperation and forthcoming joint steps would help support regional peace.

Cairo and Ankara also signed an agreement last August on the joint production of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drones. Production of unmanned ground vehicles has also begun under a partnership between the Turkish firm HAVELSAN and Egypt’s Kader Factory.

During the talks, Saqr underscored the importance of coordinating efforts to advance shared interests and expressed hope for closer ties that would benefit both air forces.

Kadioglu, for his part, stressed the depth of bilateral partnership and the strong foundations of cooperation between the two countries’ air forces.

According to the military spokesperson, Kadioglu also toured several Egyptian Air Force units to review the latest training and armament systems introduced in recent years.

Military cooperation between Egypt and Türkiye has gained momentum since 2023, following the restoration of full diplomatic relations and reciprocal presidential visits that reflected positively on the defense sector.

In September last year, the joint naval exercise “Sea of Friendship 2025” was held in Turkish territorial waters, aimed at enhancing joint capabilities and exchanging expertise against a range of threats.