From AFP. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraq's Mahdi Army fought US troops to the death in past years, but now some members of the rebranded Shiite militia say they could do with a little help from their old foe:
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. In Northern Iraq, US airstrikes have hit targets held by the Islamic State group near Mosul Dam. But well-armed Islamic State fighters appear to be changing tactics slowing down the gains made by […]
By John Lee. The Associated Press has reported recently on the northern Iraqi town of Amerli where some 15,000 members of Iraq's Shi'a Turkmen minority are cut off from food and water supplies and besieged on all sides by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters. If ISIL are able to enter the town it is […]
By Barbara Slavin for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. US officials have begun discussions with local leaders in Iraq’s Ninewa province about how to recapture the city of Mosul in the wake of the successful operation to recover control of Mosul […]
By Patrick Schmidt. American officials have announced that more US troops may be deployed to Iraq in the coming weeks. The additional troops would be based in the capitol city of Baghdad. Approximately 748 US troops have been deployed to Iraq since the rise of the Islamic State (IS). These troops supplement the usual 100 […]
By John Lee. Iraqi counter-terrorism experts have announced that the recent increase in US air strikes in the Mosul dam area (north of Mosul) have caused two waves of ISIL retreats. Following the beheading of American journalist James Foley, the Islamic State issued a warning to the US that further strikes would see the execution […]
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 […]
