By Simon Kent. The US House of Representatives have voted to place special visa requirements on anyone who has visited Iraq, Iran, Sudan or Syria after March 2011. The regulations--in effect from the date of the beginning of the Syrian uprising, come in the wake of the Paris attacks and relate to concerns over individuals […]
By Simon Kent. Iraqi Shi'a paramilitary group Kata'ib Hezbollah, or "Hezbollah Brigades" have threatened Turkish troops and Turkish interests in Iraq over the recent deployment of the Turkish army in Kurdish areas. Due to the location of Turkish troops however, the militant group is currently unable to target the Turkish army. Last week it was […]
By Simon Kent. According to fighters from northern Iraq's Yezidi ethnic minority, ISIS or "Daesh" have opened a new supply route from Syria to Mosul, which enters the northern occupied city from the south and moves through at Ba'aj, south of Sinjar. Yezidis currently working with Kurdish Peshmerga fighters have been observing the route, which […]
By Simon Kent. US Defense Secretary Ash Carter has said that, if requested the Iraqi army can benefit from US ground attack helicopters and embedded military advisers in the final stages of the fight for Ramadi. The Iraqi army have recently made significant advances into the center of the town, (pictured above) which is the capital […]
By Robert Tollast. The following opinions are the author's only, and do not necessarily represent the views of Iraq Business News. Despite the grim headlines, the main challenge for doing business in many parts of Iraq is not really security, it is still bureaucracy and a lack of clarity regarding who is responsible for different […]
By Simon Kent. The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority has suspended flights from Baghdad to Sulaymaniyah and Erbil in the Kurdish region of Iraq (KRI) for two days, effective from today. The move follows concern that Russian jets and cruise missiles pass though that airspace from the Caspian Sea region, to targets in Syria. It is […]
By Simon Kent. Japan will extend a loan worth "billions" of Yen to construct a water treatment facility in Samawah, southern Iraq. According to the Japan Today, the southern city of 300,000 people currently lacks adequate treatment facilities. Between 2003-04 a contingent of Japanese troops were stationed in the city, and the new loan represents […]
By Simon Kent. An improvised explosive device has killed at least 9 people and injured many more in the town of Yusifiyah, about 20km south of Baghdad. The town used to be part of what was once called the "triangle of death" along with nearby Mahmudiyah and Iskandariyah, and was once the scene of almost […]
By Simon Kent. Concern is mounting in Iraq following an outbreak of cholera which has caused at least 5000 cases since September, with many more suspected to have gone unreported. World Health Organization official Rana Sidani described the current crisis, noting that, "We expect an increase in the rate of infections [beyond] the officially declared […]
By Simon Kent. Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi faces new political pressure over the payment of salaries for the 100,000 strong Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) or Hashd al-Shaabi, as they are known in Iraq. The Hashd al-Shaabi were formed last summer after a call from the holy figure Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani, to defend […]
By Simon Kent. In a striking admission of the policy of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) Minister of Natural Resources Ashti Hawrami (pictured) has described the outcome of the political deadlock with Baghdad, which has led to secret oil exports by the KRG. Quoted in Reuters, Hawrami says that following former PM Nouri-al Maliki's blocking of the KRG […]
By Simon Kent. A recent piece about Basra in The Economist made an interesting point about Iraqi politics today, noting that while in Basra the provincial council suffers deep political divisions, the nearby province of Maysan has a spirit of cooperation under the much lauded, long time governor Ali Dawai Lazem. PM Abadi (pictured) seems to share this […]
