By John Lee. The Iraqi government has not provided planes for citizens of the provinces of Nineveh, Salahaddin, Anbar and all areas under the control of Islamic State insurgents, who wish to undertake Hajj pilgrimage. According to the report from BasNews, the has angered Sunni people who live in IS-controlled areas. Hajj is an annual Islamic […]
At an international conference in Paris, the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, representatives of European and Arab states, and representatives of the EU, Arab League and United Nations, have all pledged to help the government in Baghdad fight against Islamic State militants. The full statement from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs is […]
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has pledged to intensify its humanitarian activities in Iraq, and to increase assistance for more than 1.5 million Iraqis displaced as a result of continuous fighting in various parts of the country. The pledge was made during a visit to Iraq by Movement leaders that included the […]
By Patrick M Schmidt. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has welcomed forty German military advisors who will begin training Peshmerga security forces on weapons newly received from Germany. The advisors have previous experience training foreign militaries. The German military assistance package is valued at $92 million and is aimed to assist in their fight against […]
By John Lee. An oil pipeline passing through the governorate of Diwaniya has reportedly been sabotaged by an explosion, the first event of its kind in the province. Aswat al-Iraq reports that the explosion was made by dynamite underneath the pipeline that runs from Basra to Baghdad. The explosion took place in Saniya area, 12 […]
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Shia militias fighting against the Islamic State group (IS) in Iraq have been accused of exacting revenge against Sunnis. Kurdish fighters say the Iranian-backed Badr brigade, has carried out reprisals against villagers suspected […]
By John Lee. Iraq's Commission of Integrity has reportedly repatriated five billion Iraqi dinars [$4.3 million] that were smuggled to Lebanon. According to Aswat al Iraq, the money, in addition to some real estate investments, were illegally obtained by British businessman James (Jim) McCormick, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in Britain for […]
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a contribution of €2 million from the Government of Germany to help fund its emergency field kitchens in Iraq supplying hot meals to over a quarter of a million people. Since August, WFP, alongside its local partner, the Barzani Charity Foundation, has successfully served more than […]
By John Lee. A bank account belonging to Zalmay Khalilzad, the former U.S. envoy to Iraq, and another belonging to his wife, Cheryl Benard, have been unfrozen by the high court in Vienna, Austria. According to a report from Bloomberg, the the accounts were unfrozen on 3rd September, a week before reports that the U.S. […]
UNESCO officials concluded a series of meetings held with director generals in Ministries of Education in the central government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan regional government, as well as representatives from local NGOs, to discuss ways to enhance cooperation and accelerate the implementation of UNESCO programmes targeting 10,000 out-of-school children and youth in Iraq. “UNESCO […]
By Padraig O'Hannelly. The world has broadly welcomed the approval by the Iraqi parliament of the new cabinet of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. While the formulation of the new cabinet attempts to keep all factions involved and working together, it was clear from al-Abadi's speech that his arm was twisted in the negotiations, and that […]
By John Lee. At the request of the government of Iraq to provide urgent military support, the UK will supply heavy machine guns and nearly half-a-million rounds of ammunition. China's Xinhua news agency values the assistance at $2.6 million (3 billion Iraqi dinars). According to the statement from the British Ministry for Defence, this will […]
