(2002 est. pop. 1.0 million). Located on the west bank of the Shatt al Arab River 116 kilometers from the Persian Gulf, Basra is Iraq's only outlet to the sea. Most of the population are Shiʿite Muslims originating from the surrounding...

Basra (Arabic: البصرة; BGN: Al Baṣrah) is the second largest city of Iraq with an estimated population of 1,700,000 (2007), (2002) 1,337,600 . It is the country's main port and the capital of the Basra Governorate. Baṣra played an important...

Thousands of Iraqis upset about poor city services marched peacefully through the streets of Basra on Monday, demanding the provincial governor's resignation despite calls by top officials to call off the protest.Some 3,000 demonstrators gathered near the Basra mosque and marched a few hundred yards...

The Iraqi government replaced the top security commission in the country's second-largest city because of suspected links to Shiite militias as authorities prepare for British forces to reduce their presence in southern Iraq, officials said Monday.Basra, the capital of Iraq's oil-rich southern region, has been...

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki fired the Basra police chief Monday over his force's failure to stop weekend attacks on Sunni mosques in Iraq's second-largest city, police said.At least two major mosques were attacked in the Basra area over the weekend in retaliation for Wednesday's toppling...

The aftermath of this week's British pullout from Basra will demonstrate whether Iraq's nascent security forces have what it takes to keep the peace in a major city where Shiite militias and gangs have held sway.If the Iraqis can keep rival Shiite militias at bay...