Al Iraqiya

Al Iraqiya is an Iraqi public television network and broadcasting brand operated by the Iraqi Media Network (IMN), the state-owned media organization established after the fall of Saddam Hussein's Ba'athist government. The network emerged from the post-2003 effort to create a national Iraqi media system that could replace the former regime's centrally controlled broadcasting structure. Its development was connected to a United States Department of Defense project carried out by Science Applications International Corporation, with funding from the U.S. government. The channel initially operated under the IMN name before becoming known as Al Iraqiya. The network's principal role is national news and public-affairs broadcasting. It reports on Iraqi politics, government activity, security, military affairs, social issues, religion, culture, and major national events. Its coverage has included highly consequential moments in Iraq's post-2003 history, including the aftermath of the invasion, the execution of Saddam Hussein, the rise of armed groups, the war against the Islamic State, and the Tishreen protest movement. Al Iraqiya has also carried sports, cultural, and general-interest programming and is associated with a wider family of IMN outlets, including Al Iraqiya News, Al Iraqiya Sports, Al Iraqiya Turkmen, radio services, newspapers, and other media operations. The principal broadcast language is Arabic, but the network has expanded its linguistic reach to include Kurdish, Turkmen, and Neo-Aramaic or Syriac programming. This multilingual role reflects Iraq's ethnic and linguistic diversity and has helped position Al Iraqiya as an instrument of national public communication. In 2023, IMN announced a new service using Classical Syriac and contemporary Neo-Aramaic dialects. The service was presented as a means of preserving an important part of Iraq's cultural heritage and representing Syriac-speaking communities. The network has substantial domestic reach. The referenced Wikipedia account describes coverage available to more than 85 percent of Iraq's population and estimates that approximately 40 percent of the population watches it, although the available material does not identify the methodology or date for those figures. Al Iraqiya's distribution combines terrestrial transmission with satellite broadcasting, allowing it to serve viewers across Iraq and Iraqi audiences abroad. Al Iraqiya has also been controversial. Critics and media researchers have accused the channel and its parent organization of sectarian editorial tendencies, especially during and after the war against the Islamic State. Observers pointed to changes in graphics, slogans, and military coverage that they interpreted as reflecting the wider Sunni-Shia political divide. The network has additionally faced criticism over its treatment of journalists and its coverage of the 2019 Tishreen protests. Stations in Maysan were closed by protesters, while attempts were also made to close a studio in Dhi Qar. A 2019 interview involving a former Yazidi sex slave and a former Islamic State member drew criticism from observers who argued that the format placed excessive emphasis on confrontation and risked retraumatizing the victim. Despite these criticisms, Al Iraqiya remains a central component of Iraq's state media infrastructure. Its public-service identity, nationwide reach, multilingual output, and affiliation with IMN distinguish it from privately owned Iraqi satellite channels. The channel's current status, detailed corporate governance, audience metrics, and leadership structure are not fully documented in the supplied sources.

Al Iraqiya developed as part of Iraq's post-2003 reconstruction of national media. Following the invasion of Iraq and the removal of Saddam Hussein, the previous Ba'athist state-media system was replaced by a new Iraqi Media Network. IMN was created in 2004 as the successor to the former regime's broadcasting structure, and Al Iraqiya was established within that project as a national television service. The network's early development was connected to a United States Department of Defense media project. Science Applications International Corporation served as the initial contractor, and the undertaking received U.S. government funding. Al Iraqiya first operated under the IMN name before adopting its current identity. Its remit was broader than entertainment television: it was intended to provide national news and public information during a period marked by political transition, insurgency, sectarian conflict, and the formation of new Iraqi state institutions. During its early years, Al Iraqiya reported on major events associated with the invasion and its aftermath, including the execution of Saddam Hussein. The work was conducted in a dangerous media environment. On 31 May 2006, sports presenter Ali Jaafar was killed in Baghdad by unidentified gunmen. Accounts of the incident linked the killing to his association with Al Iraqiya, which at that time was widely viewed as a U.S.-supported broadcaster. The network expanded its programming beyond conventional news. One notable program was "Burning Issues," a confrontational political and current-affairs format dealing with terrorism in Iraq. The program brought together victims and arrested or convicted perpetrators and addressed subjects that were highly sensitive in the context of the country's conflict. Al Iraqiya also developed affiliated services covering news, sports, Turkmen-language programming, radio, print media, and other public-service content. A significant technical and organizational modernization took place in 2015. In cooperation with Imagine Communications, Al Iraqiya and related services were upgraded to high-definition transmission. The same period saw further development of IMN's television, newspaper, and radio infrastructure. Harris Corporation took over from SAIC on the broader project and was reported to have completed the relevant deliverables on schedule and within budget. Also in 2015, legislation placed the channel within Iraq's formal legal framework and connected it to the Council of Representatives, reinforcing its status as part of the national public-media system. The channel's editorial role became especially contested during the war against the Islamic State and after the fall of Mosul. Critics argued that its visual identity, slogans, and coverage of military operations increasingly reflected Shia political and religious symbolism. Researchers compared these changes with the output of pro-Sunni channels and interpreted both as signs of the wider sectarian division affecting Iraqi media after 2003. Al Iraqiya faced further pressure during the 2019 Tishreen protests. Protesters shut stations in Maysan and had previously attempted to close a studio in Dhi Qar because of objections to the channel's reporting. Two journalists who posted about the protests on social media were reportedly denied wages and questioned by an internal committee. These events contributed to wider concerns about editorial independence, labor security, and press freedom within Iraqi state media. In 2020, Al Iraqiya director Haidar Hassan Obeid was dismissed and Abbas Hamzouz Jakhyour was appointed in his place. In 2023, IMN head Nabil Jassim announced a new Al Iraqiya service in Classical Syriac and contemporary Neo-Aramaic. The launch was framed as a measure to represent Iraq's ethnic communities and preserve Syriac linguistic heritage. The channel reportedly employed approximately 40 people and carried news and other programs. Its launch attracted support from Iraqi officials, religious representatives, Syriac studies institutions, and members of the Assyrian diaspora. By 2024, Al Iraqiya remained an active component of the Iraqi Media Network's television portfolio. Its continuing identity combines national public broadcasting, crisis and political reporting, multilingual communication, and cultural representation. At the same time, questions about sectarian framing, government influence, and the treatment of journalists remain central to assessments of the network.

• 2023

  Launch of Syriac and Neo-Aramaic service

  [1]Al Iraqiyaen.wikipedia.org

  IMN announced a new Al Iraqiya channel using Classical Syriac and contemporary Neo-Aramaic dialects.

• 2020

  Change in Al Iraqiya directorship

  [1]Al Iraqiyaen.wikipedia.org

  Abbas Hamzouz Jakhyour replaced Haidar Hassan Obeid as director of Al Iraqiya.

• 2019

  Tishreen protest-related station closures

  [1]Al Iraqiyaen.wikipedia.org

  Stations in Maysan were closed by protesters amid disputes over the network's coverage of the nationwide protest movement.

• 2015

  High-definition upgrade and statutory recognition

  [1]Al Iraqiyaen.wikipedia.org

  Al Iraqiya and affiliated services received HD upgrades, while legislation incorporated the channel into Iraq's formal public-media framework.

• 2006

  Al Iraqiya sports presenter Ali Jaafar killed

  [1]Al Iraqiyaen.wikipedia.org

  Ali Jaafar was killed in Baghdad by unidentified gunmen in an incident associated with the dangers faced by staff linked to the network.

• 2004

  Iraqi Media Network created

  [1]Al Iraqiyaen.wikipedia.org

  IMN was created as the successor to the former regime's media structure and became the organizational home of Al Iraqiya.

• 2003

  Post-invasion establishment of a new national media project

  [1]Al Iraqiyaen.wikipedia.org

  Al Iraqiya emerged from the effort to replace Ba'ath-era state media after the invasion of Iraq and the removal of Saddam Hussein.

A state-owned national public broadcaster intended to provide nationwide Iraqi news, public affairs, cultural programming, and multilingual representation.

• National public television

  Al Iraqiya main network

  The core Al Iraqiya service is a national Iraqi television network distributed through terrestrial and satellite transmission. Its schedule centers on Arabic-language news, political reporting, public affairs, security coverage, cultural programming, and general-interest content. The channel also carries programming in Kurdish, Turkmen, and Neo-Aramaic or Syriac varieties, reflecting the linguistic composition of Iraq.

• News television

  Al Iraqiya News

  Al Iraqiya News is an affiliated news-oriented television service within the Iraqi Media Network portfolio. It forms part of the network's effort to provide continuous or specialized news coverage alongside the broader schedule of the main Al Iraqiya channel. The service was included in the 2015 high-definition modernization program.

• Sports television

  Al Iraqiya Sports

  Al Iraqiya Sports is the network's sports-focused service. It extends the public broadcaster's remit beyond political and national news into sports coverage and related programming. The supplied reference identifies it as an affiliated IMN outlet but does not provide a detailed schedule, rights portfolio, or audience data.

• Turkmen-language television

  Al Iraqiya Turkmen

  Al Iraqiya Turkmen is a language-specific service intended for Iraq's Turkmen-speaking population. It is part of Al Iraqiya's multilingual public-broadcasting structure and was among the services upgraded to high-definition transmission in 2015.

• Minority-language television · 2023

  Syriac and Neo-Aramaic channel

  Announced in 2023, this service broadcasts in Classical Syriac and contemporary Neo-Aramaic dialects. Its stated purpose is to represent Syriac-speaking communities and support preservation of Iraq's linguistic and cultural heritage. Reported programming includes news and other topical content.

• 2023

  Concerns about politically connected IMN board members

  The Media and Journalism Research Center was described as reporting that several IMN board members had ties to Iran-backed militant organizations and that government critics could risk employment consequences within the organization.

  Source

• 2019

  Coverage and treatment of journalists during the Tishreen protests

  The closure of Al Iraqiya stations in Maysan and attempted closure of a Dhi Qar studio were linked to objections over protest coverage. Two journalists were also reportedly denied wages and questioned after posting about the protests.

  Source

• 2019

  Criticism of interview involving a former Yazidi sex slave

  Observers criticized an interview bringing a former Yazidi sex slave together with a former Islamic State member, arguing that the format could foreground confrontation over the victim's experience and cause renewed trauma.

  Source

• Allegations of sectarian editorial framing

  Researchers and critics have alleged that Al Iraqiya and IMN adopted sectarian imagery and framing, particularly in coverage of the war against the Islamic State and the conduct of Sunni militants.

  Source

Read more

• 2023Syriac and Neo-Aramaic public-service launch

  Iraq · Assyrian and Syriac diaspora audiences

  IMN presented the new Syriac and Neo-Aramaic channel as an inclusion and cultural-preservation initiative intended to connect Iraq's ethnic communities through national broadcasting.

  Outcome. The launch received support from Iraqi officials, religious representatives, Syriac studies bodies, and observers in the Assyrian diaspora.

  Source

• 2023

  Launch of a Syriac and Neo-Aramaic channelProduct launch

  Background

  IMN identified a need for national broadcasting that represented Syriac-speaking communities and preserved Classical Syriac and contemporary Neo-Aramaic dialects.

  Action taken

  A new Al Iraqiya channel was introduced with programming in Classical Syriac and Neo-Aramaic.

  Aftermath

  The service was welcomed by supporters of Syriac cultural preservation and attracted attention from the Assyrian diaspora.

  Source

• 2015

  Move to high-definition broadcastingGeneration change

  Background

  IMN sought to modernize its national television infrastructure and improve the technical quality of its principal services.

  Action taken

  Al Iraqiya, Al Iraqiya News, and Al Iraqiya Turkmen were upgraded to high-definition transmission with assistance from Imagine Communications.

  Aftermath

  The upgrade formed part of a broader IMN modernization project covering television, radio, and print operations.

  Source

1. 1Al Iraqiyaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Iraqi Media Network official websiteimn.iq