Foreign Minister, Dr. Ibrahim Al Jaafari, received on February 17, 2015 Chairman of the U.S. Senates' Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Bob Croker, and his accompanying delegation. The two sides discussed the political and security status in Iraq and the international efforts to support Iraq in its war against the terrorist Islamic State (IS) gangs. Jaafari […]
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. The popular mobilization forces have been widely controversial in Iraq since their inception in June 2014. Public opinion has focused on the legitimacy of these irregular forces, their activities and the possible illegal killings committed […]
National Overview Financial challenges threaten to derail Baghdad-Erbil oil agreement as militants open new fronts in Anbar and the Northern provinces. High level negotiations on the implementation of the December 2014 Federal-Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) budget ended in acrimony this week, as Kurdish officials denounced what they described as an attempt by the Baghdad authorities […]
Dr. Haider al-Abadi, the Prime Minister, received Mr. Isaac Jhangere [Es'haq Jahangiri], Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, who arrived in Baghdad this morning at the head of a senior-level delegation. After an official reception ceremony, a bilateral meeting was held to tackle the development of relations between the two countries and issues […]
President Masoud Barzani received a United States military and diplomatic delegation at his office today. The U.S. delegation was headed by General Joseph Votel, the Commander of the Special Operations Command as well as the U.S. ambassador to Iraq and other U.S. defense and state officials. During the meeting President Barzani shared his perspective on […]
By Omar al-Jaffal for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Anbar Officials Reject Shiite Popular Mobilization Forces Officials in Iraq's Anbar province are concerned about the members of popular mobilization forces carrying out sectarian revenge operations against the residents of the province, […]
By Shukur Khilkhal for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraqis had high hopes when in December, following months of waiting, a committee began an investigation into last June's fall of Mosul to the Islamic State. At the start, the committee banned more than 50 […]
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. Helping Shiite groups in their military operations against Israel or the United States has always been a source of discord among Salafists. Radical Salafists consider both Shiites and Jews the enemies of Islam. But anti-Shiite […]
By Patrick Schmidt. Following a meeting with Jordanian General Mohammed al-Zaben, Iraq’s Minister of Defense Khaled al-Obaidi announced that Jordan had offered all of its military power to assist in the fight against the Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL). The Jordanian general relayed the message from King Abdullah. Jordan has taken an increasingly active role […]
By Mohammed A. Salih for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. A law to found a paramilitary National Guard force in Iraq to assist in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) has put Kurds at loggerheads with other communities in northern […]
By Patrick Schmidt. General George Allen, coordinator of the international coalition fighting against the Islamic State (IS), announced that the Iraqi Security Forces would begin a ground offensive against the group in the coming weeks. The offensive will be supported by the international coalition’s airpower. The coalition has launched over 2,000 airstrikes against the Islamic […]
The Kurdistan Region of Iraq Needs an Estimated US$1.4 billion this Year to Stabilize the Economy The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is facing an economic and humanitarian crisis as a result of the influx of Syrian refugees (starting in early 2012) and more recently the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in 2014. According to a newly […]
