Baghdad Summit: Leaders arrive ahead of Arab League event
Leaders will join Iraqi heads; President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid and Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.
Among the arrivals were the Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Egyptian President Abdul Fatah El-Sisi, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
Additionally, United Arab Emirates Vice President Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Kuwait's FM Abdullah Ali Abdullah, Morocco's FM Nasser Bourita, Algerian FM Ahmed Attaf, Syrian FM Asaad al-Shibani, Union of the Comoros's FM, Mbaye Mohamed, Djibouti FM Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, Saudi Arabia's FM Faisal bin Farhan, and Bahrain FM Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani landed in the capital.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jassem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Hissein Brahim Taha,
Also representing their countries were Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Jordanian PM Jafar Hassan, Omani Deputy Prime Minister Shihab bin Tariq al-Said, Sudan's Assistant Commander-in-Chief Ibrahim Jaber, Chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi, Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir, Djibouti Government Spokesperson Abdul Kader Hussein Omar, and Tunisia's Representative Mohamed Ali Ben Ahmed Al-Hadi.
Notable guests included Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez, EU Gulf Envoy Luigi Di Maio, and Russian Deputy FM Mikhail Bogdanov.
The summit, held under heightened security, marks Iraq's first time hosting the event since 2012.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Rudaw Net
15 minutes ago
- Rudaw Net
How one Barzani tragedy survivor fought back against the Baathist regime
Also in Kurdistan KRG phases out over 2,500 generators as 24-hour power initiative expands President Barzani, US coalition stress necessity of continuing fight against ISIS Kurdistan Region sees five percent rise in greenery: Official Kurdish leaders commemorate Barzan Anfal on 42nd anniversary A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Among the many tragic stories from the Baath regime's 1983 genocide against the Barzani tribe is that of Khasraw Mohammed, who chose a personal path of resistance by replanting landmines to target the toppled Iraqi regime's soldiers. On July 31, 1983, Iraq's former Baathist regime, led by ousted dictator Saddam Hussein, abducted and disappeared around 8,000 Barzani men and boys. Thousands were forcibly taken from the Zagros Mountains and transported to southern Iraqi deserts, where many were executed. Khasraw's father, Mohammed Mirkhan, and two of his brothers, Sultan and Shawkat, were among those killed. "After the martyrdom of my father and two brothers, my brother Khasraw began collecting and replanting mines in the path of Baathist soldiers to avenge them," his brother, Asaad,told Rudaw. Following the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), the Baath regime heavily mined the Kurdistan Region's borders. Born in 1971, Khasraw married in 1988 and had one daughter, who is now a university lecturer and PhD candidate. For nearly six years, Khasraw repurposed the Baath regime's landmines to retaliate against Iraqi forces. 'He was successful in this and targeted the Baathist enemy multiple times,' Asaad said. However, in 1989, Khasraw was killed when one of the mines exploded while he was handling it. The campaign against the Barzanis was part of Saddam's broader Anfal campaign, which resulted in the deaths of more than 182,000 Kurds and the destruction of over 4,500 villages. The campaign culminated in the notorious 1988 chemical attack on Halabja. Since then, the remains of many Barzani victims have been recovered from Iraqi deserts and buried throughout the Kurdistan Region. These include 1,010 victims in Chamchamal, 399 in Garmian, 80 in Topzawa south of the Kurdistan Region, as well as 696 in Badinan and 256 in Dukan in the Region's north. On Thursday, Kurdish leaders commemorated the 42nd anniversary of the attack on the Barzanis. Speaking at the event, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani said the Baathist regime failed to "subjugate the people of the Kurdistan Region and erase their existence" due to the Kurdish people's "resilience and determination." He urged the Iraqi government to compensate the victims' families. The atrocity was an act of collective punishment against the Barzanis, whose leaders had been active in Kurdish revolts against the Iraqi regime. While men and boys were the primary targets, women, children, and the elderly also suffered greatly. Although Iraq's Federal Supreme Court has recognized the Anfal campaign as genocide, survivors say little has been done to provide justice or reparations. The genocide has yet to receive widespread recognition from the international community. Soran Hussein contributed to this report.
Rudaw Net
2 hours ago
- Rudaw Net
President Barzani, US coalition stress necessity of continuing fight against ISIS
Also in Kurdistan Kurdistan Region sees five percent rise in greenery: Official Kurdish leaders commemorate Barzan Anfal on 42nd anniversary Erbil authorities to plant 5,000 orange saplings KRG says will take responsibility for compensating oil companies A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Thursday met with Brig. Gen. Kevin Lambert, the new commander of the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat the Islamic State (ISIS), to discuss the ongoing threat posed by the group and the evolving security situation in Iraq and Syria. According to a statement from the Kurdistan Region Presidency, the two top officials 'agreed that ISIS continues to pose a significant threat to the stability and security of Iraq and Syria,' emphasizing the necessity of maintaining the international coalition's mission. The meeting also covered the latest security developments as well as the 'terrorism risks' and 'ISIS activities' in the region. The US-led coalition was established in 2014 after Iraq requested international support following ISIS's rapid territorial gains across Iraq and Syria. Although ISIS lost its territorial holdings in Iraq by 2017 and in Syria by 2019, remnants and sleeper cells still carry out deadly attacks in both countries. In September 2024, Baghdad and Washington agreed to conclude the coalition's mission in Iraq by September 2025, with the Iraqi government citing improved Iraqi security capabilities. Nonetheless, coalition and Kurdish officials continue to view ISIS as a persistent threat requiring ongoing international cooperation. On the Syrian stage, President Barzani and Brig. Gr. Lambert 'affirmed that Kurds and other components' must be recognized as 'effective partners' in Syria's current and future landscape, the presidency statement added. In northeast Syria (Rojava), ISIS remains active, exploiting security gaps amid ongoing conflict and political instability. Thousands of suspected ISIS members remain detained in camps such as al-Hol and Roj, located in Hasaka province under the supervision of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the de facto military authority in Rojava. Kurdish authorities in Rojava repeatedly warned about a possible ISIS resurgence in recent months. In January, SDF chief Mazloum Abdi said there is a 'need to intensify efforts to continue the fight against ISIS if we don't want to see it make a comeback.'
Shafaq News
2 hours ago
- Shafaq News
From love to bloodshed: Iraq's family violence epidemic
Shafaq News A young Iraqi man ended his father's life with a single bullet to the head—triggered by nothing more than the father's refusal to approve his son's marriage to a girl he had met online. The shocking incident, which unfolded just last week, encapsulates a disturbing shift in Iraq's social landscape: violence has breached the sanctuary of the home. What was once unthinkable is now an unsettling pattern. Killings no longer erupt only among strangers or in public disputes in Iraq; they now unfold in living rooms, behind closed doors, and between blood relatives. Sons shoot fathers, parents kill their children, and homes once defined by love are becoming crime scenes. From Safe Haven to Battleground Behind these brutal acts lies a deeper unraveling of the family's role as a source of protection and cohesion. Sociologist Wasan al-Jubouri warns of a 'rapid and troubling transformation' in Iraqi society. Speaking with Shafaq News, she points to an abrupt and unprepared societal opening that has left families exposed, unmoored, and increasingly violent. 'The very institution meant to offer safety and stability,' she explains, 'has, in many households, become a theater for bloodshed.' Al-Jubouri attributes this crisis to interwoven factors: spiraling poverty, mounting psychological pressure, high unemployment, social isolation, and an alarming surge in drug abuse—especially among youth. She also underscores the retreat of religious and parental guidance, coupled with the erosion of the educational system's moral role. 'The result: a moral vacuum where minor disputes spiral into deadly confrontations.' Poverty and the Geography of Violence This trend extends well beyond isolated incidents. Data obtained by Shafaq News places al-Muthanna, Basra, Wasit, Dhi Qar, Najaf, and Babil at the center of this violent surge. Al-Muthanna and Babil, in particular, are among Iraq's most impoverished regions, with poverty rates soaring to 40% and 37%, respectively, according to the Ministry of Planning. These areas also struggle with entrenched unemployment, mismanagement, and systemic corruption—factors that fan the flames of domestic breakdown. The numbers tell a chilling story. A source in the Ministry of Health confirms that in 2020 alone, 23 children were murdered by their fathers. An additional 50 individuals—fathers, mothers, and children—were hospitalized with injuries ranging from fractures to burns. Yet the Ministry of Interior remains silent, dismissing such crimes as 'not new,' and declining to publish updated statistics. A Pattern of Horror But public memory is short, and the crimes are fresh. In one horrifying case last year, a father shackled his daughter with iron chains before ending her life. During that same week, three other family murders ignited public outrage. Unofficial figures reveal that 12% of Iraqi children have suffered abuse at the hands of their parents—a statistic that exposes the scale of the crisis. Social researcher Amal Kabashi links this violent rupture to a generational clash within the household. In an interview with our agency, she emphasizes that when families fail to embrace dialogue, respect, and mutual understanding—especially between spouses, the cornerstone of stability—domestic life degenerates into a battleground. 'These crimes emerge not in homes built on consultation and empathy,' she clarifies, 'but in those ruled by coercion, silence, and control.' She views the rising tide of parent-child killings as a direct consequence of societal decay. 'It defies the natural order,' Kabashi observes, 'because children are the very extension of their parents' being.' Outdated Laws, Inadequate Protection From the legal front, the response remains insufficient. Legal Adviser Moayad al-Sabbagh told Shafaq News that existing statutes cannot adequately address the scope or horror of these crimes, calling for dedicated legislation to criminalize parricide and filicide in forms that reflect their unique psychological and societal damage. 'We're applying outdated laws,' he warned, 'to a wave of violence that didn't exist when those laws were written.' He refers specifically to the Iraqi Penal Code No. 111 of 1969, which, despite amendments, fails to incorporate Iraq's post-2003 realities. 'Our legal system hasn't caught up,' he explains. 'We're seeing wives burn, strangle, or stab their husbands—parents and children killing each other with terrifying methods—yet the punishments still fall short of the horror.' Al-Sabbagh draws a direct line between these crimes and the twin crises of mental illness and substance abuse, urging lawmakers to modernize the country's legal arsenal and reinforce penalties tied to domestic offenses, drug trafficking, and addiction. Toward a National Response Sociologist al-Jubouri warns that the gravest danger lies in society's tendency to normalize these incidents as isolated cases. 'Treating these killings as individual episodes,' she cautions, 'is dangerous in itself, because they reflect a deeper societal dysfunction that will only worsen if ignored.' To address this, she calls for an active state role in launching psychological and social support programs, particularly in overcrowded and vulnerable areas, stressing the need for sustained public awareness campaigns aimed at prevention. Rather than relying solely on security measures, she urges a comprehensive national response—one that mobilizes educational, religious, and media institutions to restore respect within the family and foster a healthy, protective environment for all its members.
