Qassim Abdul-Zahra, Author at Valley News

Anti-government protesters set fires and close a street during a demonstration in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Oct. 4, 2019. Security forces opened fire directly at hundreds of anti-government demonstrators in central Baghdad, killing several protesters and injuring dozens, hours after Iraq's top Shiite cleric warned both sides to end four days of violence "before it's too late." (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Violence hits Iraqi protests

by Qassim Abdul-Zahra Associated PressOctober 4, 2019

BAGHDAD — Security forces opened fire directly at hundreds of anti-government demonstrators Friday in central Baghdad, killing at least 10 protesters and injuring dozens, hours after Iraq’s top Shiite cleric warned both sides to end four days of…

CORRECTS DATE - In this Friday, May 17, 2019, photo released by the U.S. Navy, the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge sails in front of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea. Commercial airliners flying over the Persian Gulf risk being targeted by "miscalculation or misidentification" from the Iranian military amid heightened tensions between the Islamic Republic and the U.S., American diplomats warned Saturday, May 18, 2019, even as both Washington and Tehran say they don't seek war. (Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brian M. Wilbur, U.S. Navy via AP)

Rocket hits near U.S. Embassy

by Qassim Abdul-Zahra Associated Press, and Bassem Mroue Associated PressMay 19, 2019

In this photo provided by the Iraqi government, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, left, meets with Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, Iraq, early Sunday, May 20, 2018. Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose coalition won the largest number of seats in Iraq's parliamentary elections, says the next government will be "inclusive." The May 12 vote did not produce a single bloc with a majority, raising the prospect of weeks or even months of negotiations to agree on a government. (Iraqi Government via AP)

Iraq’s Al-Sadr: Next Government Will Be ‘Inclusive’

by Qassim Abdul-Zahra Associated PressMay 20, 2018

Campaign posters for parliamentary elections are displayed near destroyed buildings from fighting between Iraqi forces and the Islamic State group in Ramadi, 70 miles (115 kilometers) west of Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, May 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

Record Low Turnout in Iraqi Elections

by Philip Issa Associated Press, and Qassim Abdul-Zahra Associated PressMay 12, 2018

In this Oct. 2, 2017 photo, family members bury their relative in a graveyard in Mosul after his body was exhumed hours earlier. Under Iraqi law, Mosul residents must recover the bodies of their relatives killed during the final battle to oust Islamic State from the city in order to receive a death certificate from the government. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen)

Over 9,000 Civilians Killed in Battle to Oust ISIS From Mosul

by Susannah George Associated Press, Qassim Abdul-Zahra Associated Press, Maggie Michael Associated Press, and Lori Hinnant Associated PressDecember 21, 2017

An injured protester is assisted after reacting to tear gas fired by security forces as protesters run during a demonstration against corruption by followers of Iraq's influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in Tahrir square, Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017. (AP Photo/ Karim Kadim)

Rockets Hit Baghdad’s Green Zone

by Qassim Abdul-Zahra Associated PressFebruary 11, 2017

Internally displaced people flee fighting between Iraqi forces and Islamic State militants on a road in eastern Mosul, Iraq, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Mosul Civilians Clamor for Food

by Qassim Abdul-Zahra Associated Press, and Mstyslav Chernov Associated PressNovember 15, 2016

An Iraqi girl, who was displaced by fighting in Mosul, looks out of her window at a camp for internally displaced people, in Hassan Sham, east of Mosul, Iraq, Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016. The United Nations says over 34,000 people have been displaced from Mosul, with about three quarters settled in camps and the rest in host communities. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Iraqi Forces Converge on Mosul

by Qassim Abdul-Zahra Associated PressNovember 10, 2016

In this Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016 photo, Iraqi special forces soldiers try to repair their vehicle as their unit receives fire from an Islamic State militants sniper in Gogjali, an eastern district of Mosul, Iraq. Iraqi special forces paused their advance in the eastern district of Mosul on Wednesday to clear a neighborhood of any remaining Islamic State militants, killing at least eight while carrying out house-to-house searches. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

Iraqi Forces Consolidate Their Gains Near Mosul

by Qassim Abdul-Zahra Associated PressNovember 2, 2016

FILE - In this Sunday, March 20, 2016 photo, two boys in a truck in a convoy of families fleeing Islamic State-held Hit, Iraq, wait at a checkpoint on the western edge of Ramadi, Iraq. Iraq’s government is setting its sight on Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city that has been under IS control since June 2014, as its next major target in the fight against IS. The assault is likely months away, but fierce fighting has already been raging as Iraqi forces try to clear the militants from villages and towns south of the city.(AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo, File)

Iraqis Prepare to Retake Mosul

by Hamza Hendawi Associated Press, and Qassim Abdul-Zahra Associated PressJuly 31, 2016