Jane Arraf

Ahmed Alaa describes hoisting a rainbow flag at a concert in Cairo as the "best five minutes of his life." Now he faces years in prison and says his family and his life have been destroyed.

Two weeks after parliamentary elections delivered a surprise win for allies of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, Iraq's divided political leaders are scrambling to put together a coalition government.

Former U.S. foe Muqtada al-Sadr appears to be the new face of reform in Iraq. The Shia cleric's bloc won the most votes in this month's parliamentary election.

Iraqis voted in their first election since the military defeat of ISIS over the weekend. While final results have not been issued, one near-certain result is the political rise of Iraq's Shiite militias.

The major winner could be an alliance linked to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, known for leading attacks on U.S. troops after the invasion of Iraq, while Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi loses support.

Election officials Sunday night released results for 10 of Iraq's 19 provinces, accounting for more than half the vote. Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is making a strong showing.

In the country's first election since driving out ISIS, partial results show an alliance backed by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has made strong gains at the expense of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

Iraqis went to the polls on Saturday for the first parliamentary election since ISIS was pushed out of the country.

In the country's first election since declaring victory over ISIS, 24 million Iraqis are eligible to vote. But at one polling center in Baghdad, journalists far outnumbered voters.

Parliamentary elections this weekend will be the most complicated in Iraq's post-war history. Many people say they won't vote. "I voted three times, but nothing changed," says an unemployed man.

Iraqis fought hard for the right to vote and millions will do so in a parliamentary election this weekend. But their faith in democracy is being tested by political corruption and mismanagement.

Iraqis vote Saturday in the first national elections since ISIS was forced from the country. The prime minister is running for re-election largely on the success against the militants.

The U.S. ground forces commander in Iraq told NPR what it means now that major ground combat against ISIS has been declared over and the focus of the 5,000 troops there moves to training.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein responded to Republican critics Tuesday, saying the Department of Justice will not be "extorted." Also, the U.S. military has closed an Iraq command center.

An Iraqi court this weekend sentenced more than a dozen women — some with their children in hand — to life in prison because they were married to ISIS fighters. Many of the women are foreigners from Russia.

"Many people, when they compare between the situation under Saddam Hussein and now, find maybe their life under Saddam Hussein was better," says an Iraqi general.

Newly appointed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is visiting the Middle East, sending signals the Trump administration wants to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal unless significant changes are made.

Slogans were shouted and American and Israeli flags burned in protests in three major Iraqi cities following a call from a former leader of an anti-U.S. militia.

Rallies opposing the U.S.-led bombing of Syria took place in Iraq over the weekend. The U.S., France and Britain conducted airstrikes after the Syrian regime used suspected chemical weapons..

An Iraqi man who famously took a sledge hammer to a statue of Saddam Hussein during the U.S. invasion 15 years ago looks back at what has happened to his country since then.