Archive | Security

Iraqis Play Politics with Mosul Investigation

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 […]

Why Salafists see Shiites as their Greatest Enemy

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 […]

Jordan Offers Military Assistance to Iraq

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 […]

Kurds Reject Proposed Rival Force in Kirkuk

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 […]

Iraq to Launch Offensive Against IS

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 […]

Kurdistan Needs $1.4bn to Stabilize Economy

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 […]

Security Council Targets ISIL Financing

Security Council approves resolution targeting sources of financing for ISIL Urging global cooperation “to impair, isolate and incapacitate” terrorist threats, the United Nations Security Council today approved measures targeting sources of funding for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Al-Nusrah Front (ANF), condemning those buying oil from the groups, banning all […]

Iraqi Tribes Become 'State within a State'

By Adnan Abu Zeed for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Equipped with various firearms, convoys of tribal members can be seen across Iraq, in defiance of the laws prohibiting the firing of guns into the air. This causes major economic losses, while the country […]

ISIS Targets ExxonMobil Site

By John Lee. Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL) militants have attacked Peshmerga forces on the Khazir frontline, north of Mosul, with the aim of seizing equipment and machinery belonging to US oil company ExxonMobil. A Peshmerga commander told BasNews that the extremist group was forced back from the area, including the key villages of Wardik […]

Agreement to Support Displaced Iraqis in Kerbala

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kerbala Governorate in Central Iraq to enhance cooperation on migration management and emergency response activities. IOM Iraq Chief of Mission Thomas Lothar Weiss, and the Governor of Kerbala, Aqeel Omran Al-Turahi, signed the MoU in a ceremony at the governorate administrative […]

Blessings in Disguise for Iraqi Stock Market

By John Lee. The continuing war against the Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL), coupled with the decline in oil prices, have reportedly made Iraqi regulators and government more receptive to reforms that would strengthen the economy and the stock market, according to an article in UAE-based The National. Shwan Taha, head of Rabee Securities, has […]

Video: Battling ISIL with Comedy and Art

From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The armed group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, ISIS, IS) has been running an ambitious propaganda campaign that includes social media and lots of recruitment videos tailored to different cultures […]