By John Lee. According to a report from Reuters, Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL) militants fighting in Iraq are selling oil from oilfields and refineries they control to local communities and smugglers, augmenting their existing ample finances. It is understood that at least some of the oil is used to fuel a power plant they […]
By Patrick M Schmidt. In an interview with BBC, Masrour Barzani (pictured), the Head of the Kurdish Security Council, has requested that the international community supply Kurdish security forces with heavy weaponry. Barzani once again emphasized that there was no need for foreign military intervention with ground troops. “We need more modern weaponry. We need […]
By Patrick M Schmidt. Kurdish security forces have announced that a military airport will open in Erbil that will be the receiving point for international military assistance to the regional government. Iraqi, Kurdish and American forces will jointly operate the airbase. While the Kurdish security forces have already received weapons from the United States, they […]
By Laith Hammoudi. This article was originally published by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, iwpr.net, and it is reproduced by Iraq Business News with permission. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News Nuri al-Malik, prime minister of Iraq for the last […]
By John Lee. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has finally bowed to pressure and stepped aside to make way for Haider al-Abadi [Haydar al-Abbadi], who has been asked by Iraq's president to form a government. Appearing on state TV flanked by Mr Abadi and other Shia politicians, Mr Maliki said: "I announce before you today, to […]
British Charity Makes Urgent Appeal to Help Refugees Fleeing Islamic State A British-run charity has launched an emergency appeal to help the many hundreds of thousands of people forced from their homes by the Islamic State (IS) fighters in Iraq. The AMAR International Charitable Foundation is one of the only organisations offering help to families […]
From CNN. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Col. Tim Collins, Former British Army Commander, speaks with CNN's Hala Gorani about the chaos in Iraq:
By Patrick Schmidt. For a terrorist organization, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) follows relatively normal business practices. It may come as a surprise to those not familiar with the group, but the organization has published an annual report revealing its secrets to success and longevity. ISIL is thought to earn at […]
By John Lee. The United Nations have declared the highest level of emergency in northern Iraq, estimating that over a million people have been displaced in the aftermath of the June offensive by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Nicolay Mladenov, head of UNAMI (United Nations Assistance Mission: Iraq) has said that in […]
By Patrick Schmidt. Following the arrival of additional American military advisors to Iraq yesterday, the Defense Department reported that some of those troops had traveled to Sinjar Mountain. After almost a week of airstrikes by American aircraft and a simultaneous offensive by Kurdish security forces, thousands Yazidis who were trapped on the mountain can now […]
By Patrick Schmidt. While the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’s (ISIL) conquest of oil fields and major dams has garnered the attention of the international community, the seizure of some of Iraq’s most valuable farmland has not received the same amount of attention. ISIL has large portions of Iraq’s top five most productive […]
By John Lee. Following on from France's move to rapidly supply Kurdish Peshmerga led forces with arms and equipment, Germany's Federal Ministry of Defence has pledged "non lethal aid" to the Iraqi army. Typically, non-lethal aid is sent when a matter is politically sensitive, or if a government has reservations about supplying one side in […]
