By Patrick M Schmidt. After a conversation with American Defense Secretary Hagel, the new, Iraqi Minister of Defense Khaled al-Obeidi (pictured) reaffirmed his commitment to reform the Iraqi security forces in the face of the ongoing threat from the Islamic State (IS). He told Hagel that he intended to go on the offensive against IS […]
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. As the US strikes ISIL targets in Iraq, we report from Irbil on the consequences of the latest foreign intervention:
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Four former employees of the US security company Blackwater have been convicted of almost every charge related to the shootings of more than 30 unarmed Iraqi civilians in Baghdad seven years ago. Al […]
By Devin Morrow for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. A small pile of stones in a field may look harmless to the casual observer, but they are a marker for a real danger in Iraqi Kurdistan. Land mines and other explosive remnants of war […]
By John Lee. The US State Department has approved a possible sale to Iraq for M1A1 Abrams tank ammunition and associated equipment, parts and logistical support for an estimated cost of $600 million (700 billion Iraqi dinars). The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale. The Government of […]
From January through 5 October, 2014 the International Organization for Migration (IOM)’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) identified an estimated 1,814,862 displaced people (302,477 families) in Iraq. This figure represents an increase of more than 61,000 displaced people since late September. Ninewa and Anbar remain the governorates of origin for the largest displaced populations, reported as […]
By Anne-Laure Barbosa at Constellis Consulting The Iraqi parliament’s approval of Sunni MP Khaled al-Obeidi as defense minister, and Mohammed al-Ghabban, a Shia member of the Badr Organisation, as interior minister, will provide a stronger political foundation for Abadi to counter the ISIS insurgency. Ghabban’s appointment follows weeks of negotiations and resistance from Abadi to nominate […]
Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani today received Ivan Šimonović, the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, and his accompanying delegation. The delegation said that compared to their previous visit back in 2011, they noticed sound improvements made by the Kurdistan Region in the areas of diplomacy, foreign relations, infrastructure, a free press, freedom of speech, […]
By John Lee. Heavy rains have reportedly flooded refugee camps in Dohuk, where an estimated 100,000 Iraqis, mostly Assyrians and Yazidis, are living having fled from the Islamic State. According to a report from AINA, hundreds of refugees held protests to call attention to their miserable living conditions and to demand emergency relief from the […]
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Several minority ethnic groups are trying defend their towns from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. They say they've lost confidence in the Iraqi army, and its ability to protect their […]
By Patrick M Schmidt. The United Nations (UN) has estimated that nearly 180,000 civilians have been displaced from Anbar province following the advance of the Islamic State (IS) into the province. These individuals add to the nearly 1.8 million Iraqis who have been displaced since the initial expansion of the Islamic State earlier this summer. […]
By Patrick M Schmidt. Concerns are now mounting with Western defense agencies that the Islamic State (IS) has gained control of Syrian fighter jets. It is believed the captured at least three jets during their assault of the Syrian air force base, al-Jarrah. The fighters may be receiving training from Iraqi pilots who have defected […]
