The deputy chairman of Wassit provincial council, Mehdi al-Mussawi, told Aswat al-Iraq that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with an Iranian company to build a 500-megawatt power station on a deferred payment basis, in addition to a 400-bed hospital and 5000 flats housing complex.

The MOU, which the approval of the electricity ministry and the cabinet, includes provision for the training of Iraqi personnel in Iran, and for Iranian physicians to treat Iraqi patients at the new hospital.

(Source: Aswat al-Iraq)

Azzaman reports that the Iran Foreign Investment Company (IFIC) is willing to invest heavily in a number of projects in the southern Iraqi province of Wassit, and is prepared to accept deferred payment for its acvities.

The head of the province’s information office, Majid al-Atabi, said the company’s offer was tempting because Wassit did not have to worry about immediate payment.

He said IFIC’s representatives were in Wasit and submitted their blueprints and designs for the projects the company wanted to start in the province.

“The provincial authorities have tentatively accepted the designs but still we need them to be approved by the province’s investment commission,” Atabi added.

IFIC plans to implement projects in various sectors including settnig up a pharmaceutical company and a cement plant, as well as building silos.

The Iran Foreign Investment Company was incorporated in March 1998 as a Private Joint Stock company with a mission to manage and expand Iranian holdings abroad.

A holding company, IFIC provides financing and financial services and makes investments around the world. IFIC has interests in energy, telecom and IT, banking, insurance, stock markets, industry, mining, oil, gas and petrochemicals, as well as new and future technologies.

Currently IFIC has ventures in different countries including Germany, Brazil, Egypt, Jordan, Sudan, Yemen, Namibia, Oman, United Arab Emirates and Armenia.

 (Sources: Azzaman, IFIC)

The current world focus is on Libya, with AKE now ranking Tripoli as being much more hostile a working environment than Baghdad. However, conditions are still fluid and unstable in Iraq, and levels of violence have crept up in the country for the third consecutive week. Dozens of people were killed and hundreds injured in nationwide attacks last week, making it the worst reported since mid-June. Many of the casualties were caught up in a spate of bombings that swept the country on 15 August, outlined in last week’s report.

Kurdistan Operations

In Kurdistan the Turkish military responded to a recent terrorist attack by the PKK by launching a series of assaults and air raids against suspected terrorist locations in the Qandil Mountains. There have been at least seven civilian fatalities reported and localised agricultural damage, but the reporting climate remains poor. The majority of personnel in Kurdistan will remain unaffectedfrom a safety perspective, with the operations remaining limited to isolated mountainous areas. However, there may be sporadic demonstrations in some urban areas in response to the ongoing operations.

Weekly Attacks in Iraq - the last 6 months

Shootings

A rise in the number of small arms attacks in Ninawa and Ta’mim provinces left several people dead and injured last week. Personnel should note that the recent lull in targeted shootings may now be at an end. More assassinations, particularly against ministry employees and members of the security forces should be anticipated as a result.

Central Violence

While Diyala province saw the largest number of attacks last week, it was Wassit province which suffered the most casualties, with a double bombing on 15 August in central Kut killing many. In the days following the attack security measures were raised in the province, particularly around government buildings and trading areas in Kut where the authorities are anticipating further possible terrorist attacks. Conditions are still relatively quiet in Baghdad, but the situation has still gradually worsened over the course of Ramadan and the number of attacks could rise further in September.

Southern Activity

Conditions worsened slightly in the southern region over the past week, with Najaf province still reeling from the double suicide bombing on 15 August. US military patrols continue to be targeted in roadside blasts while militants continue to target military bases with indirect fire (rockets and mortars). An Iraqi naval officer was also reportedly kidnapped from the Basrah area on 22 August. Kidnap for ransom remains a major problem in Iraq, although the frequency of abductions has declined in the south over the past two years. AKE produces a free quarterly kidnap brief which you can sign up for here.

Weekly Attacks in Southern Iraq - 2010 to Present

In general, personnel and companies interested in working in the south of Iraq for the long term should bear in mind that conditions have worsened – albeit only slightly and gradually, since the beginning of 2010 in the region. The accompanying graph shows that the weekly number of attacks continues to fluctuate, but that overall the number of incidents has been slowly picking up over the past year and three quarters.

John Drake is a senior risk consultant with AKE, a British private security firm working in Iraq from before 2003. Further details on the company can be found here while you can obtain a free trial of AKE’s intelligence reports here.

AKE will be exhibiting at Offshore Europe in Aberdeen between 6 – 8 September. Please visit us at stand 5C110 and sign up for our updates here.

A company owned by the Iraqi Ministry of Industry and Minerals has announced that it will buy buy a textile production line from a Swiss company for 1.77 million Swiss francs [$2.24 million, 3 billion Iraqi dinars].

Alforat TV quotes a director of the company as saying that the company is waiting for Ministry approval to complete the contract with the Swiss company Rieter.

The production line is intended to produce high-quality yarn in Wassit [Wasit] governorate.

(Source: Alforat TV)

Up until Monday, the past week was turning into one of the quietest so far this year, but then a series of mass casualty attacks swept the country, leaving dozens of people dead and injured. Provincial government buildings and security force installations and patrols were the most common targets of the attacks, although civilians were caught up in many of the blasts. The most devastating attack took place in Kut, where two bombs in a central commercial area left over 30 people dead and over 60 injured. While several of the other attacks involved suicide bombers, they did not inflict nearly as many fatalities.

Distribution of Violence

Incidents were scattered countrywide, and while many took place in Baghdad and the central provinces, there were also several incidents in the northern cities of Kirkuk and Mosul, and even some rare attacks in the southern holy cities of Karbala and Najaf, which are normally very well patrolled. Evidently terrorists still have the opportunity to overcome the security measures being maintained by the Iraqi authorities.

Distribution of Monday's Violence - AKE Intelligence

Political Implications

The attacks may re-invigorate the debate as to whether or not the US military should stay beyond the Status Of Forces Agreement (SOFA) deadline on 31 December. However, it would be extremely difficult for any Iraqi politician to invite the US to maintain its troop presence on Iraqi soil beyond the date. It is likely that the majority of American troops will have left the country by the end of the year, although some may stay behind to protect specific US assets and to provide support to the Iraqi security forces in a training and advisory role.

Countrywide Trends

Apart from the mass casualty attacks of 15 August the month of Ramadan has remained relatively quiet. This is now a familiar pattern in the country, where the holy month has seen a decline in militant activity over recent years.

Kurdistan remains very quiet, with Iranian troops ending their pursuit of Kurdish terrorists – for now at least – in the Qandil Mountains. However, Ankara may resume its cross border attacks following a terrorist attack against troops in the south east of Turkey earlier on Wednesday. If it does, however, the fallout will remain limited to mountainous areas. Settlements, oil fields and areas of business activity will remain largely unaffected.

Weekly Attacks in Iraq - the last 6 months - not including the attacks of Monday

In the centre of the country recent violence has been concentrated in Baghdad, with clusters of incidents around eastern Anbar province, north-western Wassit province and scattered throughout Diyala and Babil provinces. The south of the country has seen very little in the way of violence over recent weeks, although Najaf was caught up in the mass casualty attacks of Monday. A double suicide bombing in the Hayy al-Hussein district of the holy city highlighted the fact that even normally quiet and well patrolled parts of the region are at risk of being targeted.

John Drake is a senior risk consultant with AKE, a British private security firm working in Iraq from before 2003. Further details on the company can be found here while AKE’s intelligence and political risk website Global IntAKE can be accessed here.

You can obtain a free trial of AKE’s intelligence reports here.
You can also follow John Drake on twitter here.

The head of the Wassit Investment Commission today laid the cornerstone for a $24m [29 billion Iraqi dinar] iron and steel factory.

This is the first factory to be established in the province in the last 40 years, the province’s media director stated.

Majid al-Attabi told Aswat al-Iraq that the factory will be established in Aziziyah area, 90 km north of Kut, by an Iraqi investor.

The last factory was build by the government 40 years ago for textile production.

The factory will provide 150 local jobs in addition to 15 percent of foreign workers with engineering specializations.

Wassit’s Investment Commission gave permission, since its establishment in 2007, for 10 investment permits in various sectors.

(Source: Aswat al-Iraq)

Wassit local government has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indian company BHEL (Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited) to build a 500 MW power station, according to a report from Aswat al-Iraq.

Taha Rudaini, a member of the local government’s Media Committee, told the news agency that the station will be powered by diesel (black oil).

“The province got the final permission from the Ministry of Electricity to build this station”, he added.

BHEL has reportedly implemented power stations in Sulaimaniyah, Beiji [Baiji, Bayji], Rumaila (Basra), Oman, Yemen and UAE, in addition to its responsibility of 70 electrical projects in the region.

Discussions to find a venue for the station are underway.

(Source: Aswat al-Iraq)

The province of Wassit [Wasit] has blacklisted 19 general contracting companies for their slackness in implementign project, the province’s governor announced on Thursday.

“Nineteen were blacklisted and five of them had their licenses withdrawn for their delay in carrying out service projects,” Mahdi al-Zubaydi told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

He noted that the local administration in the province has decided not to allow those companies to enter into tenders under their names or any other names and to notify the planning ministry and the trade ministry’s companies registering department on the names of those firms.

“The province will take whatever legal action available against those prohibited companies if they ever entered under other names or do work on a subcontracting basis,” Zubaydi added.

AKnews reports that over 600 companies work in the construction sector in Wassit province.

(Sources: Aswat al-Iraq, AKnews)