Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation Forces) paramilitaries patrols an area of the the Baaj desert in Iraq's northern Nineveh province, near the Syrian border. (Photo: AFP)
Army soldiers march under the Victory Arch during the Army Day celebrations in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024. The Iraqi Army was activated on Jan. 6, 1921, while under British rule. (Photo: AP/Hadi Mizban)
In this Feb. 20, 2017 file photo, Canadian special forces soldiers, left and right, speak with Kurdish Peshmerga fighters at an observation post, in northern Iraq. (Photo: Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
Iraqi forces search the area in Tarmiyah, 35 kilometres (20 miles) north of Baghdad, following clashes with Islamic State group fighters, February 20, 2021 (Photo: Ahmad al-Rubaye / AFP)