Al-Qaidah (, The Base) was a newspaper published in Iraq. It was used as a part of the Iraqi Communist Party. It was printed at random times for 13 years.
Establishment
The first issue of al-Qaidah came out in January 1943. It was set up by Yusuf Salman Yusuf (Fahd)'s three supporters in the party Central Committee. They were Daud as-Sayegh, Hussain Muhammad ash-Shabibi and Zaki Muhammad Basim. The newspaper wanted to compete with ash-Shararah ('The Spark') for the position as the party newspaper. The different factions of the party were known by the names of their publications. As-Sayegh served as editor of al-Qaidah before being removed from the party.
Ban
Al-Qaidah was banned by the government. People caught with an issue of the newspaper could be put in prison. By 1947, bout 3000 copies of each issue of al-Qaidah were being printed. It was one of the most widely read newspapers in the country at the time. It was primarily read in Baghdad, the Shiite south and the Kurdish north. During 1954–55, seventeen issues of al-Qaidah were published. Its issues had an average circulation of around 5,400.
Ittihad ul-Amal
In 1955, Ittihad ul-Amal was founded. After this, al-Qaidah began focusing more on agrarian issues.
Shut down
Al-Qaidah was shut down in 1956. The last issue was published on June 19, 1956.