A Turkish defense ministry official said there was no damage or injury at the base but did not provide further details. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

According to a statement from the Kurdistan region’s anti-terrorism department, at least eight rockets were fired at Turkey’s Zilkan military base, with two hitting the base itself.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar dismissed the incident, saying the base comes under attack “from time to time,” prompting retaliatory fire. He said the Turkish soldiers were “fighting there with increased resolve and determination.”

Turkey has long been conducting military operations in Kurdistan region, with both ground and air forces, targeting suspected positions of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)

Raad Abdul Jabbar sits in his small Sulaimani shop surrounded by stamps from all sides.

The stamp collector and business owner hails from Baghdad, but had moved to the Kurdistan region because it was relatively safer during Iraq's sectarian conflict in Iraq in 2007.

The 54-year-old started collecting stamps as a hobby when he was teenager, turning the activity into a business some 20 years ago.

"My hobby became a source of income for me. I was a hobbyist since I was 15 years old," he says.

At his shop, he tucks away the more expensive stamps in folders to protect them from damage.

Abdul Jabbar says he has even more folders full of stamps at his home.

Most of the stamps that he owns go back to the time when Iraq was a kingdom and his collection includes a postal stamp that was issued for the inauguration of King Faisal I, the first king of Iraq.

That stamp is worth around $200 and other stamps start selling for $10 and can reach up to $400.

In Iraq, the Faisal lineage ended in 1958 when the monarchy was overthrown in an army coup.

But the stamp issued for King Faisal I is the most demanded at Abdul Jabbar's shop.

The business owner also collects and sells banknotes and coins from different countries.

The most valuable banknote is an Egyptian pound from King Farouq’s era and some Chinese currencies dating back to the 1930s-1940s.

Polling is likely to be held on May 14.

In a ceremony in Ankara on Monday, the six parties presented their joint 240-page program for a post-victory Turkey, but did not name their joint candidate to run against Erdogan.

Erdogan, who has been in office since 2003 — first as prime minister and as president since 2014 — introduced a presidential system in 2018 that abolished the office of the prime minister and concentrated most powers in the hands of the president.

The office of the president had been a largely ceremonial post until then.

The opposition has blamed Turkey’s woes, including an economic downturn and an erosion of rights and freedoms, on Erdogan’s system which they say amounts to a “one-man rule.”

The presidential system was narrowly approved in a 2017 referendum and was installed following elections in 2018.

The six parties -- known as the “Nation Alliance” or the “Table of Six” — have been meeting for the past year to come up with a joint plan to beat Erdogan and chart a return to a more democratic system.

The six parties’ failure to nominate a joint candidate to run against Erdogan has however, led to frustration among opposition supporters.

CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu has suggested he wants to run despite the significant popularity of the mayors of Istanbul and Ankara, who managed to oust Erdogan’s ruling party in local elections in 2019.

The longtime Turkish leader has seen a decline in support due to economic instability and surging inflation but has been engaged in a spending spree, including increases in minimum wages and retirement benefits, to win back votes.

On foreign policy issues, the six parties vowed to “work to complete the accession process” for full membership in the European Union, improve strained ties with the United States “based on mutual trust,” and strive to return to the U.S.-led F-35 fighter jet program.

Turkey was kicked out of the project following the Erdogan government’s purchase of Russian-made missile defense systems.

In addition to Kilicdaroglu’s CHP, the opposition alliance is made of Meral Aksener’s nationalist Good Party; Temel Karamollaoglu’s conservative Felicity Party; Gultekin Uysal’s Democrat Party; The Democracy and Progress Party led by Ali Babacan; and Future Party chaired by Ahmet Davutoglu.

Davutoglu and Babacan were co-founders of Erdogan’s ruling party and served in top positions before breaking away from the movement in criticism of Erdogan’s policies.

Excluded from the alliance is the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party, which is the second largest opposition party.

That party is facing closure following a severe crackdown by the government for alleged links to outlawed Kurdish militant groups.

The Delal Bridge, also known as the Stone Bridge or the Grand Bridge, is a landmark in the area and often a meeting point during social gatherings.

"If we need to meet with someone, we we would probably come and meet here most of the time," says Kovan Hussein, a resident of Zakho.

The historic bridge has five different sized arches and a wide curvy road paved with stones.

"It was probably built at the time when two empires were present in the area, they Byzantines and Sassanides," says Mohammed Ahmad, the director of the archaeology department in Zakho.

It was a border line between the two rival empires at the time and was used as a military road for their armies, Ahmad says.

Archaeologists say the bridge also served as a connection between Anatolia and Mesopotamia.

Many centuries later, the ancient structure still connects people in the area as Zakho residents meet with friends at the site and go for strolls along the bridge.

Nearly 60cm (two feet) of snow had fallen in the pervious 24 hours in parts of the district.

Snow is not unusual in the winter in Iraq's mountainous north.

It often shuts down traffic in the winter months for days on end, halting trade and traffic with Iran and Turkey.

The First Lady of Iraq met with several editors, directors, and journalists from the party affiliated media outlets and other press agencies in Sulaimani to discuss press freedom and professional journalism, and any challenges that they face. They emphasized that everyone must respect freedom and the principles of journalism.

She emphasized the critical role played by journalists in conveying accurate and truthful information, saying that "journalists and channels should be honest in disseminating information and news and rely on the truth and credible sources."

"Since political issues and conflicts will eventually come to an end, but the cost of mistakes will still be paid by the media, it is crucial for the professional media to stay impartial and avoid getting involved in political disputes," she added.

"Unknown sources of news are negative and destructive to trust and honesty and the value of media work cannot be ignored as an effective profession and an important field that requires accountability," said Shanaz Ibrahim Ahmad after citing some examples of mistakes, bias, and a lack of sources.

The first lady of Iraq reaffirmed her unconditional support for the press's unlimited access to a variety of information sources and said: "We welcome any legal bill that enhances the freedom of work for journalists in the Kurdistan Region and provides them with the information." She suggested that rather than spreading falsehood and allegations, the websites and pages should serve as a source of fact and factual information.

Syrian Democratic Forces said they raided “dozens of potential points and hideouts” in the city Raqqa — formerly held by the Islamic State group — and the surrounding area, and arrested dozens of suspected ISIS members.

The U.S.-led coalition forces provided air cover and drone surveillance during the operation, the statement added.

The operation was in response to an ISIS attack on Raqqa in late December that killed six members of the Kurdish-led forces.

The SDF also announced formation of a “joint operations room” backed by the international coalition aimed at targeting ISIS cells.

The Kurdish-led forces in Syria regularly carry out joint anti-ISIS patrols with the U.S.-led coalition.

The patrols were temporarily halted late last year when Turkey launched a campaign of airstrikes against Kurdish groups in Syria in retaliation for a deadly November explosion in Istanbul. Ankara blamed Kurdish groups for the attack, an allegation the groups deny.

The protesters - mainly young people - rallied amid a heavy security presence, with many carrying the Iraqi flag and banners with slogans.

"We are sending a message to this lean and weak bank that does not protect its national currency," said protester Walid al-Madani.

The dinar hit new lows last Friday, reaching about 1,670 to the dollar. The currency has lost nearly 7% of its value since mid-November.

The official rate stands at 1,470 dinars for $1. On Wednesday, the street exchange rate was about 1,610 to the dollar.

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Monday accepted the resignation of the governor of the country’s Central Bank, Mustafa Ghaleb Mukheef, following the weekslong plunge of the Iraqi dinar.

Mukheef, who had been in the post since 2020, was replaced by Muhsen al-Allaq as acting governor.

Some politicians in Iraq have blamed the drop on recent measures by the U.S. Treasury.

The U.S. has significant control over Iraq’s supply of dollars as Iraq’s foreign reserves are held at the U.S. Federal Reserve.

Late last year, the Federal Reserve began imposing stricter measures on transactions, which have slowed the flow of dollars into Iraq, including blacklisting a number of banks from the dollar market over suspected money laundering.

The latest group was made up of 32 minors and 15 adult women, the national counterterrorism prosecutor’s office said. It said the women, aged 19 to 56, were held in custody — some on the basis of arrest warrants previously issued against them. The children were placed in the care of protective services.

France has brought home women and children from camps in northeastern Syria in successive waves since the territorial defeat of ISIS in 2019.

Many European countries were slow to allow the return of women and children from areas where ISIS operated for fear they would violently turn on their homelands.

France saw more of its citizens join ISIS in Syria than any other European country and has been especially wary about having them back.

The monastery, considered being one of the oldest monasteries in this region of Iraq, is currently closed due to Turkish bombing in the area.

Turkish warplanes often conducted airstrikes near the monastery, targeting suspected positions of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

For safety and security reasons, villagers have decided that visitors will not be allowed at the monastery.

"We don’t allow people to come because it is a risk," said Shelimoun Asnia, a Christian man from the area.

The monastery, which sits on a mountain's edge in the Christian village of Dore, is close to the Turkish border.

The area gets exposed to frequent Turkish airstrikes, and Turkish warplanes are flying overhead and observing it around the clock.

Several Christian pilgrims have been exposed to artillery shelling in the past years while trying to visit the monastery and the mountain.

Many of the Christian communities of northern Iraq are some of the oldest of the faith.

The Mar Qayyum monastery is believed to date back to the forth century but the building itself has been destroyed and rebuilt several times.

The last time the two-floor monastery was renovated was in 1999.

A high-level delegation of the Peshmerga Ministry met with the coalition forces in the Kurdistan region and discussed the steps taken by the Ministry of Peshmerga regarding the reform and unification of its two corps.

Peshmerga Ministry Chief of Staff Brigadier General Isa Ozer and Secretary General of the Peshmerga Ministry Lieutenant Colonel Bakhtiar Mohammed Sadiq received a delegation with the international coalition advisors led by Colonel Sanborn, head of the Security Coordination Office in the Kurdistan region, Ministry of Peshmerga said in a statement.

The military commanders discussed steps taken by the Peshmerga Ministry regarding the reform process and the implementation of the programs and provisions of the process while discussing the formation of divisions and preparations for the success of the steps of the Ministry in this regard.

The memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Peshmerga and the US Department of Defense was discussed and emphasized the implementation of the provisions and contents of the agreement.

In September 2021, a memorandum of understanding was renewed between the Ministry of Peshmerga and the United States Pentagon to facilitate further cooperation between the two in the war against the ISIS terror group.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal published on Sunday, al-Sudani said “We think that we need the foreign forces.. Elimination of ISIS needs some more time.”

Iraqi PM did not give a timeline for US and NATO forces – who are currently serving in a training capacity – to leave Iraq, despite calls from some political allies for a full withdrawal.

“Inside Iraq we do not need combat forces,” he told the newspaper. “If there is a threat for Iraq, it is the penetration of the [ISIS] cells through Syria,” he said.

Iraq and the United States signed a strategic framework agreement in 2008, which included a number of provisions regulating the presence of US forces in the country, as well as bolstering cooperation in economic, cultural and political fields.

The number of American forces in Iraq is estimated at about 2,000 soldiers, deployed in three main locations:  the “Ain al-Asad” base, located 130 km from the city of Ramadi, in the Anbar Governorate, in western Iraq, Camp Victory, an amalgam of military and intelligence installations  near the Baghdad international airport, and the Al-Harir Air Base, north of Erbil, in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.

Kurdistan Region President Advisor Dilshad Shahab told Kurdsat English that National Security Council Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Bret Mcgurk would visit the Kurdistan region and meet with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President to discuss several issues related to the Kurdistan Region, Iraq and the region.

The visiting schedule includes talks with the leadership of the Kurdistan Patriotic Union (PUK). Kurdish leaders and the White House coordinate were closely coordinated during the war on terrorism from 2014 to 2019.

Mcgurk is a diplomat with significant experience in Iraq, especially in the Kurdistan region, as he frequently met with Kurdish leaders in the past decade. He was the Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL and retained his role under the Trump administration, but left office when Trump decided to withdraw US troops from Syria.        

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Enlightenment and Youth suspended the broadcasting of 29 channels as they have failed to renew their licenses, according to a statement from the culture ministry.

The General Directorate of Information and Publishing of the KRG Ministry of Culture issued an administrative decree that bans the broadcasting of 29 local TV channels.

The decree dated today, January 16, 2023, issued under No. 112, states that pursuant to Article 3, paragraph 1, Point 5 of Directive No. 1 of 2014 of the Ministry of Culture and Youth on "Guidelines for Regulation of Space Frequency in the Kurdistan Region."

The Publishing and Information department says in the decree, “because the channels listed below have not renewed their licenses, we have decided to suspend normal broadcasting until they renew their licenses.”

There are many TV stations in the Kurdistan region that are largely unregulated and are owned by different political parties or large businesses. Many of them are local stations that generally air entertainment content such as foreign and locally produced, series, movies and music.

The decree includes the names of the following broadcasters;

1- Niga
2. Niga Minalan
3- Niga Film
4- Biaban
5- Biaban Film
6- Biaban Sports
7- Biaban Muzik
8- Never
9- Aso Sport
10. I Movies
11- Jihan
12- Minara
13- Khezan
14. Democracy
15- Best
16- Asman
17- Effect
18- Judy
19- Laww
20- Max
21- Srusht
22- Kurdin
23- Yakgrtu
24- Binin
25- Baby Panda
26- Kaziwa
27- Azadi
28- Azadi Sports
29- Zhyar.

People’s Democratic Party (HDP) has scheduled its fourth congress for November 2023, in its Kurdish strong hold Amed in Northern Kurdistan, under the slogan, "We have a solution, No to war and exploitation.”

The HDP's bank accounts have been temporarily closed and its budget has been cut, with the party’s fate hanging in the balance at the Turkish Consitutional Court.

HDP Co-leader, Mithat Sancar declared that they have asked the constitutional court to delay its ruling on party”s future till they have held their congress. Sancar said, "It is the most appropriate for the law to leave the matter until after the election, we will make such a request from the Constitutional Court."

Stating that he would not make negative statements about the members of the Constitutional Court, Sancar said, "The court's own administration determines the course of the case. I never want to use negative words about the members of the court.”

"It would be naive to talk about a case that will only be decided in the courtroom," added Sancar, as recently intervention in the Turkish judiciary has been very visible.

The HDP is the only leftist Turkish party that have broken the 10% electoral threshold but the Turkish government keeps on cracking down on the party as it has thrown thousands of its members behind bars, usually accusing them of having ties to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Soran District Department of Civil Defense said today that two people were injured in a landmine explosion in Gornok (Bekhal) mountain in the district.

The two citizens were hospitalized Rawanduz, and one of them lost his leg and was seriously injured, and was transferred to Ashti Hospital in Soran, the department added.

Soran Civil Department revealed the identities of the victims. One of the injured is a 25-year-old from Rawanduz with a head injury and is in stable condition, the other is Rawanduz-based, 32-year-old and is married, the department explained.

According to Soran Civil Defense Department the injured mountaineers did not follow the group of mountaineers whom they initially joined and went on a wrong way that was placed with landmines.

Landmine incidents often claim lives in the Kurdistan region, as landmines were places on many region on the Kurdistan region-Iran border during the Iran-Iraq war.