Archive | Security

Samarra the Key to Reducing Tensions?

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. Is Samarra the key to reducing sectarian tension in Iraq? The Sunni-Shiite sectarian tensions in the city of Samarra are back on the front burner. Sunni politicians, clerics and a number of […]

Are Shiite Militias More Powerful than Army?

This article was originally published by Niqash. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Better Pay, Better Weapons: Are Shiite Militias Growing More Powerful Than Iraqi Army? Iraq’s unofficial Shiite militias are an essential part of the fight against the extremist Islamic State group. […]

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Mosul Deteriorates Under IS Occupation

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. Basma’s phone is always in her pocket. She used to throw it around the house, but things have changed. She is waiting for a phone call from her father, who lives in […]

Lockheed Martin Wins Iraq Training Contract

By John Lee. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics has been awarded a $9,500,000 fixed price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity contract for F-16 aircrew training to Iraq Air Force personnel. The work will be performed at Tucson, Arizona, and is expected to be complete by Jan. 27, 2017. (Source: US Defense Dept) (Picture: First flight of F-16 Fighting Falcon for […]

Critical Humanitarian Situation in 3 Southern Provinces

The humanitarian situation of Iraqis recently displaced to the southern governorates of Najaf, Kerbala and Babel is reaching critical levels, according to an assessment by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). WFP assists 50,000 displaced families in Basrah, Thi Qar, Qadissiya, Missan, Wassit, Muthanna, Najaf, Kerbala, and Babel. “Despite the dangers and challenges posed […]

Canadian Amb. Pledges Support to KRG

The Canadian Ambassador to Iraq, Mr Bruno Saccomani and his accompanying delegation today visited the KRG Department of Foreign Relation to brief Minister Falah Mustafa on Canada’s military, humanitarian, and developmental support and to discuss the future of bilateral relations between Canada and Kurdistan. Ambassador Saccomani said, “The government of Canada has been very supportive […]

Weekly Security Update, 20 - 26 January 2015

National Overview UAE airlines suspend flights to Baghdad international airport (BIAP) following small arms fire attack on passenger aircraft. At approximately 16:40 on Monday 26 January, at least four bullets were recorded to have struck a Fly Dubai Boeing 737-800 as it arrived on the runway at Baghdad airport, causing superficial damage to the plane’s […]

Yazidi Girls Tell of Escape from IS

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. For Ibtisam, a 15-year-old Yazidi girl, the six months after the Islamic State (IS) attacked her hometown could not have been crueler. Her mother and three younger sisters were taken from the village of Tel […]

Is New National Guard the Key to Unifying Iraq?

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. A wide range of armed forces beholden to different authorities outside the defense and interior ministries are spread across Iraq. This reality was not spawned by the occupation of Mosul by the Islamic State (IS) […]

Flights Suspended After Airplane Shooting

By John Lee. Several airlines have suspended flights to Baghdad on Tuesday after bullets hit an airplane as it was landing at Baghdad International Airport. Reuters reports that two passengers were slightly injured when three or four bullets hit the body of a flydubai plane carrying 154 passengers on Monday evening. It was not known […]

Video: Yazidis Hunker Down for Winter

From AFP. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Last summer, tens of thousands of Yazidis faced searing heat as they fled a murderous jihadist onslaught in northern Iraq, but many survivors are now shivering in the snow: