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 […]
Archive | Security
Over 1,100 Iraqis Killed in February
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 […]
UN Worried about Anbar Refugees
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 […]
Tags: Anbar, caliphate, IDPs, internally displaced persons, ISIL, ISIS, Islamic State, Refugees, terrorism, UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), UNHCR, United Nations
Traffic Snarls, Violence Accompany Motorcades
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 […]
Kurdish Peshmerga, IS Reach Stalemate
By Fazel Hawramy for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. "How are the skies?" a gruff voice asks in Iraqi Arabic dialect. "The skies are clear," is the reply, after a crackle of static on the walkie-talkie through which a Kurdish major is listening to […]
More Lives in Jeopardy as Fighting Expands
As a result of the recent widening of the conflict in Iraq, many more people – numbering in the hundreds of thousands – have been affected. The provinces of Al-Anbar, Ninawa, Salah al-Din, Diyala, and Kirkuk have been under heavy attack, driving more people to abandon their homes to seek shelter in safer areas. This […]
UK Hails Courage of Peshmerga
In the context of his visit to Britain, Minister Falah Mustafa, the Head of KRG Foreign Relations met with Tobias Ellwood, Middle East Minister at the Foreign Office, and during their meeting both sides discussed the current situation in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq and the threats of the terrorist organization of Daesh. The Head […]
Tags: 'Your Country' - United Kingdom, caliphate, ISIL, ISIS, Islamic State, KRG, Kurdistan News, Peshmerga, terrorism
Flurry of IS Attacks Divert Army's Attention
By Mushreq Abbas for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Contradiction prevails in official announcements regarding the course of the battles against the Islamic State (IS) and the group's movements on the ground. When Iraqis were expecting a Mosul liberation battle, IS rushed to send […]
Iraq's Corruption Continues Unchecked
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. An Iraqi contractor who works on road pavement and sewage projects in the Iraqi capital told Al-Monitor, “Government officials as well as senior contractors related to them have stakes in most, if not all, of […]
Tags: Corruption
Video: ISIL Supply Line Cut
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Hassakeh province borders territory controlled by ISIL across the border in northwestern Iraq. An important supply line that ISIL use to move from its so called capital runs through there. Al Jazeera's Zeina […]
Slovakian Diplomat to head up UN Iraq Mission
Secretary-General Appoints Ján Kubiš of Slovakia as His Special Representative for Iraq United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Ján Kubiš (pictured) of Slovakia as his Special Representative for Iraq and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). Mr. Kubiš succeeds Nickolay Mladenov of Bulgaria to whom the Secretary-General […]
Pentagon Expedites $17.9m Equipment for Iraq
The Defense Department has expedited $17.9 million in equipment and supplies –- some which have already been delivered –- to the Iraqi government, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren told reporters on Tuesday. Warren provided a general update on equipment and supplies authorized for delivery to the Iraqis. “This was a $17.9 million [Foreign Military […]
Tags: caliphate, Harris Corporation, Hellfire Missiles, ISIL, ISIS, Islamic State, M-16, M-68, MRAP, Pentagon, terrorism