Provocations from armed groups pose significant threats to Iraq’s regional and international standing, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani said in an interview aired on Wednesday, stressing support to the Iraqi government’s campaign to disarm the groups amid the scheduled withdrawal of US forces.

Around 200,000 Yazidis remain displaced 12 years after the Islamic State (ISIS) committed genocide against the community in Shingal (Sinjar), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) chief in Iraq told Rudaw on Monday.

Iraq is seeking partnerships with major US energy companies to modernize its oil sector, increase oil and gas production, and diversify export routes, the Iraqi oil minister told Rudaw on Friday.

Iraq has concluded “investigation and accountability procedures” for some 85 percent of Islamic State (ISIS) detainees transferred from Syria earlier this year, a senior judiciary official told Rudaw on Wednesday, adding that the defendants' cases are expected to be referred to courts for rulings starting in August.

The French foreign ministry deputy spokesperson on Friday described the French president's visit to Damascus as “historic" and reiterated France’s support for a unified Syria that includes all its components.