Ethnic groups in Iraq

Iraq unveiled on Sunday a 2,800-year-old stone tablet returned by Italy, as the war-ravaged country works to recover from abroad antiquities looted from its territory.

The tablet, whose text is written in cuneiform, the Babylonian alphabet, bears the insignia of Shalmaneser III, the Assyrian king who ruled the region of Nimrod, in present-day northern Iraq, from 858 to 823 BC.

Authorities in northern Iraq on Oct. 16 unveiled an "archaeological park" of 2,700-year-old carvings from the rule of the Assyrians, including showing kings praying to the gods.

The 13 stunning monumental rock-carved bas-reliefs were cut into the walls of an irrigation canal that stretches for some 10 kilometers (six miles) at Faida in northern Iraq.

From the rubble of Iraq's war-ravaged city of Mosul arises the sight of androids gliding back and forth in a restaurant to serve their amused clientele.

"Welcome", "We wish you a good time in our restaurant", "We would be happy to have your opinion on the quality of the service", chime the automated attendants, red eyes blinking out of their shiny blue and white exteriors.

Pope Francis has visited parts of northern Iraq that were held by Islamic State (IS) militants on the third day of his historic trip to the country.

Christians were among those targeted by IS when they seized the region in 2014, carrying out human rights abuses.

The Pope prayed among ruined churches in Mosul, the former IS stronghold, before meeting Christians in Qaraqosh.

The search operation for a missing Chaldean Catholic couple has yielded no result for 12 days, their priesthood holder son said on Jan. 23.

Gendarmerie special forces, crime scene investigators, sniffer dog units, unmanned aerial vehicle operators and volunteers have been carrying out the search operation for Hurmuz and Şimuni Diril around Mount Kato since Jan. 11.

Security forces have stepped up a search operation for a couple belonging to the Chaldean Catholic minority group in Turkey's southeastern Şırnak province.

No sight or sound have been caught of Hurmuz and Şimuni Diril, ethnic Assyrians living in the remote village Kovankaya near the town of Beytüşşebap, since Jan. 11.

Police identified a seventh suspect involved in an armed attack last week that killed a Turkish diplomat in northern Iraq, according to an announcement by the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) late on July 27.

A terrorist has been detained for killing a Turkish consulate employee in Iraq in an armed attack last week, the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) said on July 20.

With their hometown cleared of terrorist elements, Chaldean Christians in southeastern Turkey have returned to restore their local church.       

Iraq began piping oil from its fields around the disputed city of Kirkuk on Friday, more than a year after exports were halted over troubles with the autonomous Kurdish administration north of the country.