By John Lee. Members of the so called "Islamic State" have targeted up to 170 men near Iraq's northern city of Kirkuk, AFP reports. The men have been kidnapped in response to the alleged burning of an ISIL flag in two villages outside the city. While ISIL have been known to severely punish dissenters, other reports have […]
By Patrick Schmidt. According to figures from the Iraqi government, at least 15,000 individuals have been killed since the start of the year. Many of those individuals died following the rise of the Islamic State (IS) in June. This year’s figure is a sharp increase from 2013, when only 6,522 people were killed by violence […]
By John Lee. The Christmas and the New Year period brought no respite for fighters of the so called "Islamic State" in Iraq and Syria, with some 100 strikes targeting the group in their key command and control sites including Raqqa in Syria, and Mosul and Fallujah in Iraq. US Defence officials also reported other […]
By John Lee. A recent announcement from the Iraqi government has stated that Baghdad and Tehran are continuing to negotiate additional plans for military aid and the reformation of a national army. Defense ministers from both nations have already signed a memorandum of understanding regarding this issue, following a visit from Iraqi Defence Minister Khaled al-Obeidi to […]
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. Since the establishment of modern Iraq in 1921, its provinces have had different positions toward decentralization as a result of the country's ethnic and cultural diversity. In addition, economic resources have varied widely from one […]
More than 3,000 internally displaced Iraqis are living in Arbat camp three months after it opened to shelter to some of the 2 million people uprooted by conflict in northern and central Iraq in 2014. They comprise some 660 families, including 40-year-old Laila, her husband Khalaf and their seven children. The family from Sinjar fled […]
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. On the frontlines outside the Iraq's city of Kirkuk, contact between Kurdish Peshmerga forces and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is regular. While Kurdish forces' lines have held so […]
2015 draft budget wins cabinet approval as Baghdad sets out New Year spending plans for defence, energy and reconstruction priorities. While the Iraqi public accounts are anticipated to run at a deficit of some 23 trillion dinars (approximately $20 billion) during the coming year as a consequence of sliding oil prices and security expenditure, the […]
By John Lee. The Kuwaiti deputy prime minister, Sheikh Subah Al-Subah [Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah], arrived in Baghdad on Sunday for an official visit. The two sides discussed the promotion of relations between the countries, and the efforts to fight terrorism. Sheikh Al-Subah said that Iraq represents a basic pillar to stabilize the region, […]
The US State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to Iraq for M1A1 Abrams tanks and associated equipment, parts and logistical support for an estimated cost of $2.4 billion. The Government of Iraq has requested a possible sale of 175 Full Track M1A1 Abrams Tanks with 120mm Gun modified and upgraded to the […]
Emirates Airline and Boeing partnered with a US-based non-profit organization, Another Joy Foundation, to transport a consignment of critically-needed blankets and sleeping bags on board the airline’s newly delivered Boeing 777-300ER (Extended Range). This is the sixth time since 2009 that Emirates and Boeing have collaborated to transport humanitarian aid to countries to the needy in […]
By Padraig O'Hannelly. The Director for the Middle East & Asia at the US State Department's Bureau of Energy Resources has said that while the Islamic State (ISIS, ISIL, IS) is not able to fully exploit the oilfields under its control, it could be able to produce as much as 50,000 barrels of oil a […]
