Sunday, 23 June, 2013 , 08:22 AFP — Three car bombs, including a suicide attack, killed at least four people on Sunday in disputed territory in northern Iraq where analysts fear tensions could trigger a full-blown conflict.

Friday, 21 June, 2013 , 03:30 AFP — As central Iraq grapples with a surge in violence and a longer-term struggle to wean its economy off a dependence on oil, Abdullah Abdulkarim stands at a car dealership in the northern Kurdish city of Arbil and smiles.

Tuesday, 18 June, 2013 , 05:16 AFP — Abdulhamid sells ice cream to passersby at Domiz, Iraq's biggest camp for refugees fleeing violence in Syria, while Sidra reads an Arabic copy of "The Fox and The Crow" in class.

Monday, 17 June, 2013 , 12:21 AFP — US energy giant Chevron has signed another oil exploration deal in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, it said on Monday, one of several contracts between Kurds and foreign energy firms that have enraged Baghdad.

Tuesday, 11 June, 2013 , 19:26 AFP — More than 1,000 Kurdish career soldiers in Iraq's army have deserted and want to be integrated into forces loyal to the autonomous Kurdistan region, a heavy blow to the country's stretched armed forces.

Tuesday, 11 June, 2013 , 15:10 AFP — More than 1,000 Kurdish career soldiers in the Iraqi army have deserted and want to be integrated into forces loyal to Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, officials said on Tuesday.

Tuesday, 11 June, 2013 , 14:34 AFP — More than 1,000 Kurdish career soldiers in the Iraqi army have deserted and want to be integrated into the Kurdish former rebel peshmerga militia, officials said on Tuesday.

Tuesday, 11 June, 2013 , 08:50 AFP — Between pots of glue and scraps of cotton, Bahjat Majeed sits cross-legged in his tiny workshop, putting the final touches on a pair of handmade shoes traditionally crafted in his hometown of Halabja.

Tuesday, 11 June, 2013 , 03:30 AFP — Between pots of glue and scraps of cotton, Bahjat Majeed sits cross-legged in his tiny workshop, putting the final touches on a pair of handmade shoes traditionally crafted in his hometown of Halabja.

Sunday, 9 June, 2013 , 12:50 AFP — Iraq's premier led a landmark cabinet meeting in the country's Kurdish region on Sunday to defuse tensions linked to a multitude of disputes that diplomats warn are among its biggest threats to stability.