Author Archive | Bob Tollast

Nine Coalition Strikes Hit ISIS in Iraq

By Simon Kent. The US Department of Defence have announced 9 Coalition air strikes in Iraq, normally indicative of 24hrs of activity, in addition to several strikes launched against ISIS in Syria. The recent strikes indicate a wave of ISIS activity on the northern fronts where the Kurdish Peshmerga are battling ISIS, and at Baiji, […]

LC Waikiki Open New Basra Outlet

By Robert Tollast. LC Waikiki, the Turkish fashion corporation with outlets in 27 countries, has opened a new store at the new Basra Times Square shopping mall in the southern Iraqi city. The announcement was made on the company's website, and will be the third outlet in Iraq after store openings in Baghdad and Erbil. A […]

Abadi's Decentralisation Initiative

By Mustafa al-Kadhimi for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. A series of protests in the streets of Iraq has been going on since July 15. The protestors demand the improvement of services and the elimination of administrative and financial corruption prevailing in the […]

1000 Attend Baghdad Classical Concert

By Robert Tollast. Attending a great live music event is something many of us will share on Facebook-- well that's if you're the type who loves social media. Some go further and spend the entire concert trying to film it on their phone or live tweeting and talking loudly...but enough about those people. When the […]

23 Killed in Baghdad Checkpoint Blasts

By Robert Tollast. At least 23 people have been killed and 60 wounded in two separate suicide vest attacks in Baghdad, the BBC reports. The attacks took place in the early morning rush hour traffic and targeted checkpoints, normally an attempt to cause casualties in the backlog of traffic. Alternatively it could be a sign that there […]

Baghdad to Protect Turkish Companies

By Simon Kent. The chairman of the Baghdad Provincial Investment Commission, Shaker al-Zamli, has committed to protecting Turkish commercial interests in Iraq following the ongoing Turkish hostage crisis. Early this month, 17 Turks and a Kurdish man were taken captive by a hitherto unheard of fringe Shi'a group. Two have subsequently been released, and the act has […]

Ergil Complete Gharraf Maintainance

By Simon Kent. Turkish oil and gas services company Ergil have announced the completion of a project with Petronas, to provide pipeline maintenance via "pigging" at the Gharraf oil field in Thi Qar province. Gharraf is operated by Petronas, Japex and North Oil Company, and the services Ergil provided installing "pig launchers" and "pig receivers" […]

Two Turkish Hostages Released

By Simon Kent. The Turkish government has confirmed that two hostages have been released by the group calling themselves the "Death Division," who kidnapped the workers in Baghdad early this month, along with 16 other hostages. The two men were said to be in good condition, confirmed by both Turkish and Iraqi authorities, who also […]

Gulf Keystone Announce Shaikan Milestone

By Simon Kent. Gulf Keystone have announced that the Shaikan field in the Kurdish region of Iraq (KRI) has now exceeded 15 million barrels of commercial production. According to the company, this amounts to a daily average production in excess of 40,000 barrels of oil gross. The oil is trucked to the Turkish border before […]

Iraq Still Seeking CSSF Contractor

By Simon Kent. Iraq's Common Seawater Supply Facility, the project originally intended to supply 12 million barrels a day of treated sea water for injection to maintain pressure at oil wells, may be delayed until 2020. Originally scheduled for 2013 after planning began in 2009, the project stalled when Exxon (who had the original contract […]

US Combat Troops in Iraq?

By Robert Tollast. According to a report in Asharq al Awsat, later re-reported in Britain's Daily Mail and The Times of Israel, 160 US combat troops have been sent to the base of Al Assad in Anbar province. Al Assad is a vast military complex in dangerous, contested territory west of Ramadi, and according to reports, the troops […]