By John Lee. The Saudi Foreign Minister, Saud al-Faisal (pictured), has told reporters in Riyadh that “Iran is taking over Iraq.” The comments were made during a joint press conference with US Secretary of State John Kerry, in which Kerry said the United States was keeping an eye on Iran's 'destabilizing' acts, adding that his country […]
By John Lee. The Czech government has approved the sale of 15 redundant L-159 combat planes to Iraq. Defense Minister Martin Stropnický said the government will receive 750 million Kč ($30 million) via the Aero Vodochody mediating company. Prague Post reports that the deal will give work to up to 100 people who will assemble […]
On Monday, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi met the director of the fund to reconstruct the areas affected by terrorist operations, Dr. Abdul Basit Turki. They examined ways to expedite provision of services and the completion of reconstruction for the liberated areas that were devastated by the terrorist gang Daash (Islamic State), in addition to persuading […]
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The advance of the Iraqi army against ISIL is forcing a growing number of people from their homes. It's a situation that aid agencies in Iraq say is only going to get worse. […]
National Overview Allied forces are now understood to be in preparations for a direct assault on Tikrit city, following a large scale retreat of ISIS fighters from towns and villages protecting main routes. In total some 20,000 troops, alongside PMU militias and Sunni tribesmen have advanced on the town, closing off routes to the south […]
By John Lee. Militants from the Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL) have reportedly destroyed ruins at the ancient city of Hatra, 110km (68 miles) south-west of Mosul. The UNESCO world heritage was founded during the Parthian Empire over 2,000 years ago. "The destruction of Hatra marks a turning point in the appalling strategy of cultural […]
By John Lee. The Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL) has bulldozed the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud (Kahlka), which lies about 30km (18 miles) south-east of Mosul. The city was founded more than 3,300 years ago and was one of the capitals of the Assyrian empire. Its frescos and works are celebrated around the world […]
By Mustafa al Kadhimi for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Iraq Business News. Iraq's de-Baathification crisis resurfaced Feb. 2, when the Cabinet approved amendments to the Justice and Accountability Act, which deals with the country's ex-Baathists and the banning of the Baath […]
National Overview As total nationwide fatalities hit their highest point since October 2014, the Iraqi Government launched the largest anti-ISIS offensive to date, in an attempt to retake one of the Islamic State group’s mains strongholds; Tikrit. The operation will be an important test case for Iraq’s Shiite-led government as it tries to reassert authority […]
According to casualty figures released by UNAMI, a total of 1,103 Iraqis were killed and another 2,280 were wounded in acts of terrorism and violence in February*. The number of civilians killed was 611 (Including 30 civilian police), and the number of civilians injured was 1,353 (including 29 civilian police). A further 492 members of […]
The United Nations Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General, Lise Grande, along with Neill Wright, the country’s UN refugee agency (UNHCR) representative, today visited Iraqi families recently displaced from Al Baghdadi district in the western province of Anbar. “The situation facing these families is very worrying. They have been under siege for days and […]
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. On Feb. 18, the bodyguards of national security adviser Faleh al-Fayad beat up a group of journalists and media workers in the Al-Nahrain Center for Strategic Studies when they refused to leave the conference Fayad […]
