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 […]
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 As a result, the United Arab Emirates has withdrawn […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 – […]
By John Lee. A move in cabinet to reform Iraq's controversial debaathification law has been opposed by Sunni ministers. Current laws prevent former Baath Party members from participating in Iraq’s government and public service. The Sunni ministers said the reforms do not go far enough, while the rest of the cabinet approved them. The reforms […]
By John Lee. The Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL) is reported to be exports 100 tankers of crude oil every day from the Hamrin oil fields in southern Kirkuk. The US has previously warned that IS is using oil as a major source of funds. An Iraqi army officer, who declined to be identified, told […]
By John Lee. The Iraqi Cabinet approved a draft law on Tuesday to create a new National Guard. Reuters reports that Sunni political and tribal leaders have billed the move as a way to handle their own security in the fight against the Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL). The National Guard would consist of locally […]
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 militant activities of the Islamic State (IS) and its counterparts have contributed to the rise of moderate Islam in the Islamic world. The fact is that it is Muslims, of all sects, who have […]
Kurdistan Regional Government’s Prime Minister, Nechirvan Barzani, yesterday in Erbil received the Austrian Foreign Minister, Sebastian Kurz and his accompanying delegation, which included the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the European Parliament, the Austrian Ambassador to Iraq and a number of senior officials from the Austrian Foreign Ministry, as well as Iraq’s Ambassador […]
National Overview ISIS fighters mount the largest offensive against Kirkuk since July 2014, seizing control of oil and gas facilities as Peshmerga forces defend outer districts of the provincial capital. Preceded by a considerable build-up of militants in the Hawija and Sharqat areas south west of Kirkuk city, the main thrust of the attack occurred […]
