Statement by Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby on Airstrikes in Iraq At approximately 6:45 a.m. EDT, the U.S. military conducted a targeted airstrike against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorists. Two F/A-18 aircraft dropped 500-pound laser-guided bombs on a mobile artillery piece near Erbil. ISIL was using this artillery to […]
By John Lee. Afren plc has taken the precautionary step to temporarily suspend operations at the Barda Rash field in light of heightened regional security related issues. Working with its local security advisors, Afren is implementing a phased withdrawal of non-essential field personnel from the Barda Rash field. All other Afren operations in the Kurdistan […]
By John Lee. Following recent events in the vicinity of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq ('KRI'), Genel Energy plc has confirmed that the Taq Taq and Tawke fields remain safe and secure. The company says that operations there are unaffected, with combined gross production from both fields averaging c.230,000 bopd this week. It says it […]
By Patrick M Schmidt. Despite relative success in stemming the advance of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants, Kurdish security forces faced their first major defeat on Thursday. Sources report that Kurdish security forces have been forced to withdraw and that the vital Mosul Dam now lays under control of the extremists. […]
By Patrick M Schmidt. While Kurdish security forces battle Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters on the ground, the Turkish Air Force has begun gathering intelligence on the militants’ movement from the air. Following a meeting between Turkish leadership, as many as eight jets were scrambled from Diyarbakir airbase. The Turkish leadership […]
From Amnesty International. Panic has taken hold in north-western Iraq as tens of thousands of people flee areas where Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) militants are continuing their advance, Amnesty International said. “The situation for Iraqis in the north-west of the country, especially those from the Yezidi and Christian minority communities, is becoming […]
By John Lee. Gulf Keystone Petroleum confirmed on Thursday that the Company's operations in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, including ongoing production and trucking operations at both Shaikan production facilities, remain safe and secure. While there is no immediate threat to any of the Company's operations in the region, the company continues to monitor the […]
By John Lee. Gulf Keystone Petroleum Limited has announced the appointment of Dr Joseph A. Stanislaw and Mr V Uthaya Kumar to the Board as Non-Executive Directors with immediate effect. Dr Joseph A. Stanislaw has spent the last three decades as a senior adviser within the energy industry. He was previously President and CEO of […]
By Patrick M Schmidt. The United States Treasury has announced that its Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Unit has imposed sanctions on Kuwaiti citizens who are believed to be routing funding to militant groups in Syria and Iraq. The two groups have been identified as the Nursa Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the […]
By Patrick M Schmidt. An offensive launched by Kurdish security forces over the weekend has continued into the middle of the week. Their forces have mainly focused on the city of Mosul that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) had previously declared as the capitol of their “caliphate.” Kurdish forces have suffered […]
By Patrick M Schmidt. Almost three-dozen different non-governmental organizations have pushed for action on the part of the American government to respond to the ongoing refugee crisis in the Kurdistan region. It is estimated that the violence that erupted this weekend alone displaced at least 30,000 people as Kurdish and militant forces clashed. It is […]
By John Lee. The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) has reported that 13 banks took part in its currency auction on Thursday. A total of $142,566,000 was sold at a price of 1166 Iraqi Dinars (IQD) per dollar. (Source: Central Bank of Iraq)
