Mustafa Al-Kadhimi

Eight months after national elections, Iraq still doesn't have a government and there seems to be no clear way out of the dangerous deadlock.

Political elites are embroiled in cutthroat competition for power, even as the country faces growing challenges, including an impending food crisis resulting from severe drought and the war in Ukraine.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sent a letter on Nov. 10 to Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi in which he condemned in the "strongest terms" a terror attack on the home of the Iraqi premier.

Turkey's foreign minister on Nov. 8 extended his get-well wishes to Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi after explosive-laden drones targeted his residence.

Over the phone, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu once again "strongly condemned" the terror attack where explosive-laden drones targeted the residence of Al-Kadhimi early on Sunday, according to diplomatic sources.

Iraq's Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi survived an assassination attempt with armed drones that targeted his residence early on Nov. 7 and officials said he was unharmed. The attack was a major escalation amid tensions sparked by the refusal of Iran-backed militias to accept last month's parliamentary election results.

Over 17,000 looted ancient artefacts recovered from the United States and other countries were handed over to Iraq's Culture Ministry on Aug. 3, a restitution described by the government as the largest in the country's history.

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U.S. President Joe Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi sealed an agreement on July 26 formally ending the U.S. combat mission in Iraq by the end of 2021, but U.S. forces will still operate there in an advisory role.

The agreement comes at a politically delicate time for the Iraqi government and could be a boost for Baghdad.

Turkey on July 20 "strongly condemned" the "treacherous" terror attack in Baghdad that left at least 30 people dead and 60 injured.

Iraq's prime minister on June 12 inaugurated a training and research hospital built by a Turkish construction company in a city on the Euphrates River.

Pope Francis has called for an end to violence and extremism, on the first ever papal visit to Iraq.

In a speech after being welcomed by Iraqi President Barham Salih, Pope Francis said he was very pleased to come to Iraq, which he described as the "cradle of civilisation".

The pontiff is making his first international trip since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Turkish defense minister and the chief of general staff paid an official visit to Baghdad on Jan. 18.