FILE - This March, 13, 2019 handout file photo from the office of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, shows senior Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in the southern Iraqi city of Najaf. The pontiff and ayatollah will meet in al-Sistanis modest home in the Iraqi city of Najaf. (Office of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, via AP, File)One highlight of Pope Francis' historic visit to Iraq is his meeting Saturday with a revered religious leader for Shiite Muslims, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. ___The 90-year-old al-Sistani is the top Shiite cleric in Iraq and a powerhouse in the Shiite world. After the 2003 ouster of Saddam Hussein, al-Sistani emerged as a powerful voice in Iraq’s political process — a symbol of the ascent of Iraq's Shiite majority after the war.

Women wait outside the Chaldean Cathedral of Saint Joseph, in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, March 6, 2021, where Pope Francis, depicted on a giant poster at their back, is concelebrating a mass. AdTogether, the day’s events gave symbolic and practical punch to the central message of Francis’ visit, calling for Iraq to embrace its diversity. Al-Sistani is one of the most senior clerics in Shiite Islam, deeply revered among Shiites in Iraq and worldwide. Later, Pope Francis evoked the common reverence for Abraham to speak against religious violence at the inter-faith gathering at the Plains of Ur, near the southern city of Nasiriyah. Associated Press journalists Anmar Khalil in Najaf, Iraq, and Samya Kullab in Baghdad contributed.

FILE - in this Sunday, April 14, 2019 file photo, Cardinal Louis Raphael I Sako addresses the faithful during the Palm Sunday service at Mar Youssif Church in Baghdad, Iraq. The Chaldean patriarch, Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, provided the first details of Francis’ March 5-8 itinerary during a virtual news conference hosted by the French bishops' conference. The Vatican has confirmed the visit, but it still could be called off given the coronavirus pandemic. Sako dismissed the significance of the bombing on the overall security situation in Iraq and said, “There is no risk for the pope." Francis and the Vatican delegation will have been vaccinated by the time of the trip.

The Army says it has fired or suspended 14 officers and enlisted soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, and ordered policy changes to address chronic leadership failures at the base that contributed to a widespread pattern of violence including murder, sexual assaults and harassment. He also ordered a separate probe into staffing and procedures at the base's Criminal Investigation Command unit, which is responsible for investigating crimes on Fort Hood. Mejhor Morta was found near a reservoir by Fort Hood. The five-member panel spent three weeks at Fort Hood and conducted more than 2,500 interviews, including 647 in person. Fort Hood, he said, has the highest rate of positive drug tests in the Army.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, left, speaks at the State Department in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020, during a news conference with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, right. Trump and Iraq's prime minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, were to meet at the White House Thursday morning. There is still work to do," Pompeo told reporters at a State Department news conference with Iraq's foreign minister Fuad Hussein. We want an Iraq that is corruption free, prosperous and fully integrated into the global economy," Pompeo said. Meanwhile, the U.S.-led coalition has been carrying out a planned drawdown this year as Iraqi security forces take the lead in combat and air raids.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, left, speaks at the State Department in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020, during a news conference with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, right. Pompeo said the United States was committed to helping Iraq regain and maintain security, despite President Donald Trumps oft-stated desire to reduce and then eliminate the American troop presence there. We want an Iraq that is corruption free, prosperous and fully integrated into the global economy," Pompeo said. He said Iraq currently does not need direct military support on the ground, and that the levels of help will depend on the changing nature of the threat. Meanwhile, the U.S.-led coalition has been carrying out a planned drawdown this year as Iraqi security forces take the lead in combat and air raids.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Aug. 17, 2020. Al-Kadhimi's administration set a lofty agenda that included enacting economic reform, battling corruption, avenging protesters and bringing arms under the authority of the state. The coalitions presence was based on an invitation from Baghdad to support Iraqi forces fight the Islamic State group. Meanwhile, the coalition has left bases across the country in a planned drawdown this year as Iraqi security forces take the lead in combat and air raids. Making good on a vow to investigate protester deaths, his office produced a number of total lives lost at 560, most under fire from Iraqi security forces.