National Overview Jordanian air campaign in Syria occurs amid ongoing counter-ISIS offensive across Iraq, as militant activity is curtailed in northern and central conflict zones. While Jordan’s armed forces have substantially increased their military presence along Iraq’s south-western border following the killing of pilot Muath al-Kasasbeh by the Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham […]
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Czech to Send Tanks, APCs to Iraq
By John Lee. The Czech government has given the go-ahead to supply 100 military vehicles to Iraq, to support the ongoing fight against Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL) militants. BasNews reports that the vehicles are reconditioned BVP-1 armoured personnel carriers (APCs) and T-72 tanks, to be supplied by a company called Excalibur Army. (Source: BasNews) […]
Tags: BVP-1 armoured personnel carriers (APCs), caliphate, Czech, Excalibur Army, ISIL, ISIS, Islamic State, T-72 tanks, terrorism
Jordan Deploys Troops to Iraqi Border
By John Lee. Jordanian government officials have told NBC News that Jordan has deployed "thousands" of troops at its border with Iraq. Speaking on condition of anonymity, they said the troops were sent to prevent the infiltration of ISIS fighters into Jordan, and as a show of force. "We are determined to wipe them [ISIS] […]
IS Destroys Kirkuk Railway
By John Lee. Militants from the Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL) have bombed the Kirkuk railway on Saturday evening, in an attempt to prevent Peshmerga forces from attacking the area. A Peshmerga source in the area told BasNews that the jihadists laid waste to a section of the railway near Maktab Khalid, and blew up […]
Video: Baghdad Lifts Curfew
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraq has lifted a years-old nightly curfew in the capital, Baghdad, in a bid by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's government to make the city feel more liveable despite persistent violence plaguing the country. […]
Czech Govt Postpones Decision on Iraq Jets
By John Lee. The Czech cabinet has postponed a decision on the sale of redundant L-159 subsonic fighters to Iraq. Defence Minister Martin Stropnicky said on Wednesday that "the way of assigning the proceeds from the sale to the Defence Ministry must be defined before the decision is made." Global Times reports that the Czech Defence […]
PM Al-Abadi Receives German Ambassador
By John Lee. Prime Minister Dr. Haider Al-Abadi received the German Ambassador in Baghdad, Mr. Ekkehard Brose, at his office on Wednesday. The meeting discussed means of promoting bilateral relations especially security, training and armament cooperation in addition to the economic, trade and investment fields. H.E. mentioned that Iraq is looking forward to a promising […]
US Devotes More Resources to Iraq
By Patrick Schmidt. The United States military has repositioned and deployed additional military resources to Iraq in the wake of two major events. The brutal murder of a Jordanian fighter pilot by the Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL) has sent another shock through the international community. As a result, the United Arab Emirates has withdrawn […]
Tags: 'Your Country' - United States, caliphate, ISIL, ISIS, Islamic State, Jordan, terrorism, UAE, United Arab Emirates
IS No Longer Reliant on Oil Income
By Patrick Schmidt. The United States Department of Defense announced this week that the Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL) no longer receives the majority of income from oil sales. Officials now believe that the group is funded mainly through private donations as well as black market sales. Additional pressure has mounted against the Islamic State […]
Mladenov to be New UN Mideast Envoy
By John Lee. The UN Security Council has reportedly approved the appointment of Nikolay Mladenov as the United Nations' top Middle East envoy, replacing Dutch diplomat Robert Serry. Mladenov, aged 42, has been the UN envoy in Iraq since August 2013, and has previously served as Bulgarian foreign and defense minister. No replacement for Mladenov […]
Baghdad Curfew to be Lifted
By John Lee. Iraq is to permanently lift a decade-old curfew on Baghdad. Brigadier General Saad Maan, the spokesman for the Baghdad Operation Brigade, told the AFP news agency that Prime Minister al-Abadi ordered that the curfew be completely lifted from this Saturday. According to a report from Al Jazeera, the hours it has been […]
Extremists Ransack Mosul Libraries
The head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) voiced alarm today over the reported destruction of thousands of books in museums, libraries and universities across Mosul – the northern Iraq city currently controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). According to the UN agency, the books – […]