By Patrick Schmidt. The Iraqi government has announced that security forces have reclaimed the K3 Refinery in Haditha. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) had occupied the facility and expelled its staff from the area. Security officials announced that they had killed a number of militants and were now inspecting the facility […]
By John Lee. The Canadian government has confirmed that they have two cargo planes operational to assist in the transfer of arms and supplies to Iraqi Kurdish forces. Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird (pictured) went as far as to endorse US air strikes against the "brutal" ISIS: “Canada supports all efforts, including United States supply drops […]
By John Lee. The Italian government has joined Germany and France in saying they are preparing to send arms and other assistance to both Kurdish aligned forces and the federal government of Iraq in Baghdad. The move follows a visit to Iraq by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who announced on his return that Italy […]
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq have regained control of several towns east of Mosul from the Islamic State group. The Peshmerga, backed by US air strikes, are fighting to retake the Mosul Dam, […]
The United Nations refugee agency said on Tuesday that it is launching one of its largest humanitarian aid pushes in response to the deteriorating situation in Iraq, aiming to help close to a half million people who had been forced to flee their homes. Barring last minute delays, an air, road and sea operation will […]
By Patrick Schmidt. The United States government has approved a $500 million program that would assist and train Iraqi pilots. The funding is directed toward helping the Iraqi Air Force mobilize its American-made rotary wing aircraft, including the Bell 407, OH-58, and Huey II. The Iraqi government made the request for support at the end […]
By Anne-Laure Barbosa at Constellis Consulting On 14 August, Nouri al-Maliki bowed to increasing domestic and international pressure, and agreed to step down as Prime Minister to endorse Haider al-Abadi in a televised speech. This endorsement paves the way for the formation of a new government, after months of parliamentary deadlock and Maliki’s stubborn insistence to […]
By John Lee. The United States is now far more open to Iraqi requests for increased military support to fight ISIS, The Wall Street Journal reports. Previously, initiatives to sell arms and rapidly transfer foreign military sales such as F-16s and Hellfire missiles have been slowed by concerns in Congress regarding Nouri-al Maliki's authoritarian style of leadership. […]
By John Lee. Thousands of fighters from as many as 25 pro-government tribes have launched a coordinated offensive against ISIS fighters in the Western Iraqi province of al-Anbar. The leader of these "Sahwa" fighters, Sheikh Abdel Jabbar Abu Risha, announced that the offensive was not related to Maliki stepping down and had been planned for […]
By John Lee. British Prime Minister David Cameron has been defending his case that the UK should expand its role in the current crisis in Iraq. He argued that the world was increasingly interconnected, ISIS were a unique and particularly extreme terror threat and that they will pose a threat to Europe if allowed to […]
By Patrick Schmidt. After remaining in the hands of the Islamic State (IS) the Mosul Dam and surrounding areas have been mostly recaptured by Kurdish security forces. American airpower over Northern Iraq assisted the Kurdish in recapturing the facility during their offensive. The United States announced that it had launched 14 strikes against Islamic State […]
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki has agreed to step down at a time of national crisis and deep division.
