Archive | Security

Video: PM to ask US for more Arms, Strikes

From AFP. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Monday that he will use a visit to the United States to seek increased air support and arms deliveries to aid Baghdad's battle against jihadists.

IS Attacks Baiji Refinery

By John Lee. Islamic State militants (IS, ISIS, ISIL) breached the security perimeter around Baiji [Beiji, Bayji) refinery on Monday, but were repelled by security forces and coalition airstrikes. The 20-square-kilometer site was under siege for five months last summer, until its liberation in November. According to Reuters, provincial council member Khazaal Hammad said the […]

Abadi Fires over 300 Army Officers

By John Lee. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (pictured) has "[sent] more than 300 officers in the ministry of Defense into retirement. This comes within a plan to reorganize the hierarchy of the Iraqi Army and make it more active and efficient to confront the dangers that face Iraq and to protect its national security. " […]

Reuters Bureau Chief Flees Iraq

By John Lee. Reuters' bureau chief in Baghdad has left Iraq after he was threatened on Facebook and denounced by a satellite news channel belonging to a Shiite paramilitary group. Journalist Ned Parker has previously detailed lynching and looting in Tikrit, following the city's liberation from the Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL). In addition to […]

IOM Iraq Signs MoU with Charity

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Iraq this week signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bahjat al-Baqir Charitable Institution in Baghdad to advance humanitarian programs in response to the current crisis. The agreement covers cooperation in emergency response distributions, provision of health and psychosocial services, and livelihoods programming. The organizations will also collaborate on […]

IS Sells Oil at Under $30/barrel

By John Lee. The Iraqi Oil Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi claims that the Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL) are selling oil for as little as $30 a barrel. BasNews quotess the Minister as saying that the militants are getting their oil from two major sites in Salahaddin Province; the Allas and E’jeel oil fields. This […]

Basra "Takes Further Steps Toward Independence"

This article was originally published by Niqash. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Kurdistan of the South? Basra Takes Further Steps Toward Independence Inside Iraq Those who believe that the resource-rich province of Basra would be better off as a semi-autonomus region say […]

Freeing Mosul "a Job for the People of Mosul"

This article was originally published by Niqash. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Senior Kurdish Intelligence Officer: Freeing Mosul Is A Job For The People Of Mosul A senior member of Iraqi Kurdistan's intelligence services , Nazhat Hali, talks to NIQASH about the […]

IS “Controls Just One Oil Field in Iraq”

By John Lee. The German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung reports that the Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL) now has control of just one functioning oil field in Iraq, the Qayara field south of Mosul in Nineveh Province. As a result, oil production in areas under its control is now estimated at 2,000 bpd, just 5 percent […]

Iraq Lags Behind in Social Progress Index

By John Lee. Iraq has scored 113th out of 133 countries surveyed in the latest Social Progress Index. The Social Progress Index is an aggregate index of social and environmental indicators that capture three dimensions of social progress: Basic Human Needs, Foundations of Wellbeing, and Opportunity. The Index measures social progress strictly using outcomes of […]

Govt Promised Shiite Militias Won't Fight in Mosul

This article was originally published by Niqash. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Ninawa Governor Al-Nujaifi: 'Iraqi Govt Promised Us Shiite Militias Won't Fight in Mosul' The governor-in-exile of Ninawa, Atheel al-Nujaifi, outlines his ideas for how best to liberate Ninawa's capital, Mosul, […]