National Overview International support for Iraq’s counter-ISIS offensive saw a further rally in the wake of last week’s terrorist attacks in Paris, with EU nations Sweden and Finland joining regional allies in preparing to send direct military training and assistance to Iraq’s fragile national armed forces. Coming shortly after PM Abadi announced that it could […]
Archive | Security
Short Term Investment Essential for Long Term Benefit
By John Lee. Delivering the keynote speech to the Al-Kindi Society for Engineers forum -- The Role of Engineering during Iraq's Crisis -- in London at the weekend, Baroness Emma Nicholson of Winterbourne (pictured) emphasised that short term investment in Iraqi infrastructure was essential for the long term benefit of the country. Baroness Nicholson, who […]
Tags: Al Kindi Society for Engineers, AMAR International Charitable Foundation, Baroness Nicholson, Iraq Britain Business Council (IBBC)
ICRC: Greater Support Needed for IDPs
At the end of a six-day visit to Iraq, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) vowed to scale up assistance to displaced people and the communities hosting them. President Peter Maurer witnessed the difficult conditions endured by people as a result of ongoing fighting, long periods of displacement, loss of […]
Germany Continues Support to KRI
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister, Nechirvan Barzani, has welcomed Germany’s Defence Minister, Ursula von der Leyen and her accompanying delegation in Erbil, which included a number of military and political officials, a number of members of the German Bundestag, German Ambassador to Iraq and the German Consul General to the Kurdistan Region. The German Defence Minister […]
Sweden to Strengthen Ties with Kurdistan
Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Margot Wallstrom, received Minister Falah Mustafa, Head of the KRG Foreign Relations, on Monday to discuss bilateral ties and latest humanitarian and security developments in Kurdistan and the wider region. In welcoming Minister Mustafa and his accompanying delegation, Foreign Minister Wallstrom said, “We enjoy excellent relations with the Kurdistan Region […]
UNICEF Iraq Distributes Winter Clothing
Bitterly cold winter weather in Iraq has compounded the dire situation facing more than one million children, as the country continues to suffer from widespread violence and displacement. Official estimates indicate that over 2.1 million people, over half of whom are children, are displaced across Iraq. The vast majority of the displaced have fled to […]
The Kharijites and IS
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. Who are the Kharijites and what do they have to do with IS? Members of the Islamic State (IS) have often been described as modern-age Kharijites, in reference to the Muslims who rebelled against the […]
American Weapons Given to Militias
By Patrick Schmidt. Since the outbreak of violence in Iraq, due to the rise of the Islamic State, the American government has supplied massive amounts of military aid to the Iraqi government. A recent report from Bloomberg indicated that part of the aid given to the Iraqi government has been passed along to Shia militias. […]
Tags: militias
Sinjar Refugees Move to New UN-Habitat Camp
Days before snow was expected to fall in the foothills of Dohuk, Iraq, 900 families are moving into the new camp for internally-displaced persons (IDPs) built through the collaboration of 8 UN agencies planned and led by UN-Habitat. UN-Habitat’s acting Regional Director from Arab States, Mr Dyfed Aubrey and UN-Habitat’s Country Director Dr Erfan Ali […]
Tags: IDPs, internally displaced persons, International Organization for Migration, IOM, Refugees, UN, UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN-HABITAT, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, United Nations, UNOPS, World Health Organization (WHO)
US Donates 250 Armoured Vehicles
By John Lee. In support of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), the United States has donated 250 mine-resistant, armor-protected (MRAP) vehicles to the Iraqi Government. U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Stuart Jones, commented: “The number one threat to the Iraqi security forces are roadside bombs and vehicle-borne bombs…These MRAP vehicles provide increased ballistic and counter mine […]
Iraq Ebola Rumours Unfounded
The Ministry of Health in Iraq, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), has confirmed that there is no suspected case of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Iraq as of January 5th 2015. On 31 December, 2014, Al-Sabah newspaper, Shafaq news agency and Rudaw online newspaper reported a rumor of EVD cases in Mosul, […]
IS Book Burnings Target Minorities
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. For decades, the overland route between western Iraq and Lebanon has been the busiest and most important passage for the transportation of books and publications to Iraq. Today, the route has fallen under control of […]