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Kadhimi Assigns Counter-Terrorism Unit to Free Kidnapped Activist

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi. (Reuters)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi. (Reuters)
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Kadhimi Assigns Counter-Terrorism Unit to Free Kidnapped Activist

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi. (Reuters)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi. (Reuters)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi on Monday ordered dispatching a special anti-terror force backed by the army's air force to locate the Iraqi activist Sajjad al-Iraqi, who was kidnapped by a group of armed gunmen in the southern city of Nasiriyah.

Kadhimi’s orders came after the security forces and local police in Nasiriyah failed to free the activist three days after he was kidnapped.

“A force from the Anti-Terrorism Service was assigned to go to Dhi Qar governorate backed by army air forces to locate and free the kidnapped activist,” Iraq’s Security Media Cell said.

Dhi Qar Police Chief Hazem al-Waeli on Monday revealed new information about al-Iraqi’s kidnapping.

“Security forces were able to identify the kidnapper through the testimonies of eyewitnesses and al-Iraqi’s friends who were accompanying him during the time of the kidnapping,” al-Waeli said, adding that the police also used information retrieved from the tire tracks left behind by the abductor’s vehicle.

Al-Waeli confirmed that security forces started taking necessary measures regarding the case.

Al-Iraqi was kidnapped by seven gunmen mounting a pick-up truck on Saturday evening from the Al-Azirij neighborhood north of Nasiriyah.

One of al-Iraqi’s companions was shot, but he survived his wounds and identified the kidnappers.

Despite activists in Nasiriyah accusing al-Ibrahimi tribe of being behind the abduction, driven mainly by political aims, al-Waeli said that the motives behind the kidnapping remain unclear.

“We have no information about the reason for his kidnapping, we do not know that there are tribal problems, or problems with posting on Facebook, or maybe a fight took place on the same day, but we will know all of that after the kidnappers are arrested,” al-Waeli said.

Protesters took to the streets soon after news of the kidnapping broke out. Demonstrators blocked bridges crossing the Euphrates River and closed down the majority of official offices in an effort to pressure local authorities and the police to uncover the whereabouts of al-Iraqi.

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Arab World

Erdogan: War Must be Stopped 'Before it Engulfs Entire Region in Flames'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks after a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, March 9, 2026. Mustafa Kamaci/Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERS
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks after a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, March 9, 2026. Mustafa Kamaci/Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERS
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Erdogan: War Must be Stopped 'Before it Engulfs Entire Region in Flames'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks after a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, March 9, 2026. Mustafa Kamaci/Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERS
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks after a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, March 9, 2026. Mustafa Kamaci/Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERS

The war raging in much of the Middle East must be stopped before it engulfs the entire region at increasing cost to the global economy, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday.

"This war must be stopped before it becomes bigger and completely engulfs the region in flames," he said, describing the Middle East as "once again enveloped in a smell of blood and gunpowder".

"If diplomacy is given a chance, this is entirely possible," he insisted, a day after Iran's top diplomat Abbas Araghchi effectively ruled out negotiations with Washington, saying Tehran had had "a very bitter experience of talking with Americans".

The war, sparked by the US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, has caused death, displacement and destruction while roiling oil markets and leading to a spike in oil prices.

"If this senseless, lawless and irregular war continues, there will be more loss of life and property, and the cost to the global economy will increase even further," Erdogan added, saying Türkiye was pursuing efforts to find a diplomatic solution.

Since the war began, Tehran has retaliated with strikes across the Middle East.

Aside from two ballistic missile interceptions in Turkish airspace by NATO defense systems over the course of five days, Türkiye appears to have been spared.

Türkiye has no natural gas or fuel supply problems and currently does not foresee any, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said ⁠on Wednesday, despite worries ⁠about supply constraints pushing prices higher.

Arab World

Iran Military Says to Hit US, Israeli Economic Targets in Region

A photograph shows the damage in the aftermath of a drone strike in the Seef district of Manama on March 10, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
A photograph shows the damage in the aftermath of a drone strike in the Seef district of Manama on March 10, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
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Iran Military Says to Hit US, Israeli Economic Targets in Region

A photograph shows the damage in the aftermath of a drone strike in the Seef district of Manama on March 10, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
A photograph shows the damage in the aftermath of a drone strike in the Seef district of Manama on March 10, 2026. (Photo by AFP)

Iran's military vowed on Wednesday to launch strikes against US and Israeli economic targets in the region, including banks, after overnight attacks reportedly hit an Iranian bank.

"The enemy has given us free rein to target economic centers and banks belonging to the United States and the Zionist regime," said the military's central operational command, Khatam Al-Anbiya, in a statement carried by state TV.

It urged people across the region to refrain from going within one kilometer of banks.

Iranian media said US and Israeli strikes hit a bank in Tehran overnight, killing an unspecified number of employees.

Arab World

Report: Drone Hits US Diplomatic Facility in Iraq, No Injuries Reported

The US embassy headquarters in Iraq is pictured in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone on March 8, 2026. (AFP)
The US embassy headquarters in Iraq is pictured in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone on March 8, 2026. (AFP)
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Report: Drone Hits US Diplomatic Facility in Iraq, No Injuries Reported

The US embassy headquarters in Iraq is pictured in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone on March 8, 2026. (AFP)
The US embassy headquarters in Iraq is pictured in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone on March 8, 2026. (AFP)

A drone struck a major US diplomatic facility in Iraq on Tuesday amid the US-Israeli air war on Iran, but there were no injuries and everyone was accounted for, according to a US official and an internal State Department alert seen by Reuters.

The drone hit the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center, next to the Baghdad airport, impacting near a guard tower, the internal alert from the Department seen by Reuters said. Individuals at the facility were ordered to "duck and cover", it said. A separate alert said everyone was accounted for.

The White House and the State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Washington Post ‌first reported the ‌incident and said a total of six drones were launched ‌toward ⁠the compound in ⁠Baghdad and that five were shot down. It also said the attack was likely carried out by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed armed factions.

Iraq condemned the attacks near the Iraqi bases but did not mention the damaged US facility, according to the Washington Post.

"The (Iraqi) Ministry of Defense stresses that it will not stand by as a spectator. Rather, it will firmly confront and pursue ... all parties involved," ⁠the ministry said in a statement cited by the newspaper.

The US ‌and Israel began attacks on Iran on ‌February 28. Iran has responded with its own strikes on Israel and Gulf countries with US ‌bases.

Raising the stakes for the global economy, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said ‌it would block oil shipments from the Gulf unless US and Israeli attacks cease.

The United States and Israel pounded Iran on Tuesday with what the Pentagon and Iranians on the ground called the most intense airstrikes of the war, despite global markets betting that President Donald ‌Trump will seek to end the conflict soon.

Trump has said the strikes were aimed to eliminate what he called imminent threats from Iran, citing its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and its support for the Hamas and Hezbollah groups.

Iran, which denies seeking a nuclear weapon, has called the attacks an unlawful violation of its sovereignty. Iran does not have nuclear weapons. Israel is believed to be the only country in the region with nuclear weapons, while Washington is also nuclear-armed.

Israel says 11 civilians have been killed in Iranian attacks. Iran's UN ambassador said on Tuesday the US-Israeli strikes had killed more than 1,300 civilians.