Dilshad Anwar

Sectarian Violence Keeps Iraqi Town Off Limits to Townspeople 3 Years After IS

Three years after Islamic State was ousted in Iraq’s Salahuddin province, 12,000 Sunni residents of Sulaiman Bek are unable to return home because Shi'ite Popular Mobilization Forces militiamen turned the town into a military base. VOA’s Dlshad Anwar reports.

IS Tries to Regroup in Iraq’s Oil-Rich Region

As Islamic State (IS) continues losing ground to the U.S.-backed Iraqi forces in Mosul, IS militants are trying to regroup in the oil-rich province of Kirkuk, where they still control scattered towns and villages. VOA’s Dilshad Anwar reports.

Families of Slain IS Members Placed in Iraq Refugee Camp

The Iraqi Kurdish government has placed dozens of Islamic State (IS) members’ families in the Qorato refugee camp in Kirkuk, but they are kept separated from people who were victimized by IS. VOA’s Dilshad Anwar reports.

Kurdish Forces Reportedly Seized IS Phones Rigged With Explosives

Kurdish security forces have captured dozens of cellphones the so-called Islamic State (IS) rigged with explosives for terrorist attacks in northern Iraq.

Fleeing Mosul Offensive, Islamic State Threatens New Territory in Iraq

Iraqi, Kurdish Forces Massing on IS-held Hawija

Iraqi and Kurdish forces are preparing to push Islamic State fighters from the northern Iraqi town of Hawija. VOA’s Dilshad Anwar reports.

Iraqi, Kurdish Forces Prepare to Push IS From Strategic Town 

Predominantly Sunni town of Hawija is militant group's largest stronghold in Iraq after Mosul

Two Years After IS Pushed Out, Residents of Iraqi Town Return Home

Nearly two years after being liberated from IS, residents of Jalawla are returning to their homes. VOA's Dilshad Anwar reports.

IS Allegedly Fires Chemical Weapons

Iraqi and Kurdish officials said Wednesday that ISIS fired rockets, containing chemical weapons, at Taza Khurmatu, an Iraqi town south of Kirkuk.  Some residents of the town who spoke to VOA’s Dilshad Anwar said they felt nauseas and sick from the attacks

Captured IS Commander: Militants Changing Tactics Because of Coalition Bombings

An Islamic State commander captured by Kurdish Peshmerga forces says the militants are changing tactics in the face of bombings by the U.S.-led Western coalition. Captured near the Iraqi city of Kirkuk, the commander spoke to VOA's Kurdish service reporter, Dilshad Anwer.

IS Expands Car Bomb Attacks From Iraqi Desert

After losing key cities in Iraq, militant group changes tactics, moves fighters to al-Jazeera region to train in suicide car bombing techniques, Iraqi officials say

Kurdish Trenches Against IS Draw Iraqi Ire

Iraqi government concerned that Kurds may be attempting to set up a de-facto Kurdish border as part of efforts towards independence from Iraq

Kurds Display Cement-fortified Military Vehicles Seized from IS

VOA reporter was shown six locally manufactured armored vehicles and a number of military bulldozers that Kurdish commanders say IS had used to excavate trenches in areas to south of Kirkuk and fortify its fighters

Iraqi-Kurdish Teachers Vow to Continue Protest

Sixteen people were injured when police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse teachers and other public employees who took to the streets in Iraq’s Kurdish north, demanding their salaries from the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG). VOA’s Dilshad Anwar, in Sulaimaniya, caught up with protesting teachers who say they have not been paid for three months. Parke Brewer narrates his report.

Iraqi Kurds Recapture 12 Villages From IS Militants

Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq say they have driven Islamic State group from more than 140 square kilometers of territory near oil-rich city of Kirkuk

IS Flees Iraqi Villages, Leaving Lethal Roadside Bombs

Despite booby traps, Peshmerga fighters say they're happy to be retaking territory from terrorists

IS Retreats From Iraqi Villages But Leaves Lethal Roadside Bombs Behind

Kurdish forces backed by airstrikes from a U.S-led coalition drove Islamic State militants out of nine villages in northern Iraq on Friday, Kurdish authorities said. But the militants left behind numerous roadside bombs that killed many Kurdish fighters and volunteers as they entered those villages. Roger Wilkison narrates this report for VOA's Kurdish service by Dilshad Anwar.

An Iraqi Soldier's Death at the Hands of IS Militants

Iraq's Army told the family of Samir Murad he was killed in battle with the Islamic State. In fact, he was captured by the militants and killed in a spectacle before a group of Sunni tribal leaders in Fallujah.

VOA Exclusive: Iraqi Soldier's Death at Hands of IS

Samir Murad, a Shi'ite Kurd with Iraqi national army, was trying to stop advance of Sunni extremists near Fallujah when he disappeared

Related video of airstikes on Kirkuk, Kurdish Peshmerga forces

As Iraqi forces inched forward in the battle to retake Tikrit from Islamic State fighters, the U.S.-led coalition continued its air campaign against militants in Syria and Iraq on Monday with 13 airstrikes. Among them were strikes on areas south and west of Kirkuk, where VOA Kurdish Service reporter Dilshad Anwar saw evidence of heavy bombardment. Iraq's Kurdish Peshmerga forces then were able to move into areas from which IS militants retreated.