By Ali Mamouri for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Media outlets are broadcasting the departure of hundreds of thousands of Syrians and Iraqis from their countries toward Europe by boat, train or on foot. The scenes of escape and displacement coupled with panic […]
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, […]
Iraqi government-backed militias carried out widespread destruction of homes and shops around the city of Tikrit in March and April 2015 in violation of the laws of war, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report released on Sunday. Militiamen deliberately destroyed several hundred civilian buildings with no apparent military reason after the withdrawal of […]
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 […]
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 […]
By Wassim Bassem for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraq’s government, society struggle with widespread bribery With shocking innocence, Ali al-Sultani from Babil, a city 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Baghdad, told Al-Monitor what he does to have official documents dealt with […]
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 […]
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 […]
By Simon Kent. The US Department of Defence have released data on Coalition air strikes on ISIS in Iraq and Syria, normally indicative of 24hrs of military activity. Without context, the report reads as a list of different attacks on the terrorists with no apparent meaning other than removing ISIS fighters and equipment from […]
By Simon Kent. Shi'a cleric Moqtada al Sadr has again challenged the media image of himself as a radical "firebrand" by demanding the release of the 17 Turkish construction workers kidnapped in early September. The cleric has long had a reputation for violent anti government, anti-western and sectarian politics, after running the militias the Jaish […]
By Simon Kent. Iraq's Ministry of Migration has announced that without a surge in extra funding, the country will struggle to accommodate and provide for over 1.5 million Syrian refugees and Iraqi "internally displaced people" (IDPs) both within Iraq and the Kurdish autonomous north. Iraq's refugees are divided with the Kurdish region hosting about 46% […]
By Simon Kent. Kurdish Peshmerga forces have secured 10 villages around the town of Daquq, located not far from the city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq. In the operation--supported by Coalition aircraft--the forces lost 13 men to enemy action, including roadside bombs and "explosive rigged cars." It is another sign that, when supported by air strikes, […]
