"shiite"

They were accused of carrying out the 2014 ISIS massacre of over a thousand Iraqi troops. The U.N. discouraged fast-tracking the executions, saying torture may have been used to extract confessions.

Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced today that he will step down and endorse his nominated successor, state television says.

A trio of car bombs in Baghdad killed at least 51 people on Wednesday, according to Iraqi police.

Extremist Sunni group ISIS has announced a plan to rule the territory it has carved out of Iraq and Syria in recent months, in a declaration that touches on public services, salaries, and compensation for damages from the violence.

To get a good feel for what exactly is happening on the ground in Iraq, watch this video of BBC correspondents who were caught in the crossfire.

The Sunni militant group that has stormed across Iraq invaded the country’s largest oil refinery today, hitting it with mortars. The government is using limited air attacks to strike back at ISIS, which now controls large areas of Iraq’s north.

Overnight in Iraq, the al-Qaida splinter group ISIS overtook large parts of Mosul, one of the country’s most populous cities.

There’s been another horrifying bombing in Quetta, Pakistan; reports say at least 47 people are dead after an explosive device went off in a crowded marketplace. At least 130 people are hurt, notes Reuters. Photos from the scene show heavy smoke rising over buildings.