Archive | Security

Iraq Needs Services, Not Heavy Weapons

By John Lee. The second deputy speaker of the Iraqi parliament said Iraq needs to build and provide public services rather than buy heavy weapons, according to a report from AKnews. Commenting on the visit of Iraq's Defense Minister Sadoun al-Dlemi [Sadoun al-Dulaimi, Sadun al-Dulaymi] to Russia to buy heavy weapons, Arf Taifur expressed his surprise […]

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Weekly Security Update for 25th July 2012

By Gary Sandiford, Olive Group’s Dubai based assessments manager.  Olive Group is a leading provider of security and technology solutions and has operated continuously in Iraq since 2003.   Overview Olive Group Iraq statistics are drawn from multiple sources, including media reporting and direct liaison with in country assets. Included within the statistics are a […]

Attack on Turkey-Iraq Oil Pipeline

By John Lee. An explosion and fire shut two pipelines that transport oil from Kirkuk to the Turkish port of Ceyhan (pictured) on Friday night, and it was unclear when oil would resume flowing. Security sources blamed sabotage by Kurdish separatists for the explosion at 11 p.m. (2100 GMT) on Friday near the town of […]

Video: Iraq Seals Border Crossings with Syria

By John Lee. Syrian rebels have taken control of one of the country's key border crossings with Iraq, but Syria's neighbour has sealed off its end of the crossing and is not allowing refugees to pass through. Iraq has sent an army division to guard the border post, as the war-weary country grows increasingly concerned […]

Weekly Security Update for 19th July 2012

By Gary Sandiford, Olive Group's Dubai-based assessments manager. Olive Group is a leading provider of security and technology solutions and has operated continuously in Iraq since 2003. Overview Olive Groups Iraq statistics are drawn from multiple sources, including media reporting and direct liaison with in country assets. Included within the statistics are a minority sub-set […]

Maliki Calls for US to Speed up Arms Transfers

By John Lee. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki called on Sunday for the US to speed up the transfer of weapons to Iraq, which lacks the ability to defend its airspace or borders. UPI reports that during a meeting with General James Mattis, the visiting head of US Central Command, the Iraqi premier also pointedly […]

$40m Compensation for Samarra Property Damage

By John Lee. A committee has been formed to manage the distribution of 48 billion Iraqi dinars ($40 million) in compensation to the people of Samarra. It will be chaired by the Minister of Sciences and Technology, Dr. Abdul Kareem Al-Samarra’yie [Abdul-Karim al-Sammaraie, Abd al-Karim al-Samarrai], and will include the Mayor of Samarra, and the […]

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Iraq to Boost Air Defences from Supplementary Budget

By John Lee. The Iraqi government has agreed to allocate additional funds from the supplementary budget to boost its air defences. Mr. Ali Mohsen Al-Allaq, the Secretary General to the Council of Ministers, said the country's sovereignty requires that its airspace should not be violated, a fear that was expressed by Acting Minister of Defense Mr. […]

Iraq Auditor Questions $636m in Costs

By John Lee. The Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), Stuart Bowen (pictured), has found serious weaknesses in the government’s controls over Iraq reconstruction funds that put billions of American taxpayer dollars at risk of waste and misappropriation. The precise amount lost to fraud and waste can never be known, but SIGIR believes it […]

HRW: "Iraq Cybercrimes Law Violates Free Speech"

A new draft law on information technology crimes would restrict free speech in violation of international law and poses a severe threat to journalists, whistleblowers, and peaceful activists, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The pending law includes vague provisions that would allow Iraqi authorities to harshly punish expression they decide constitutes […]

Splitting Iraq: How Likely is an Independent Kurdistan?

By Shwan Zulal. This article was originally published by Niqash. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The disputes between Baghdad and Iraqi Kurdistan have led some local politicians to call for the semi-autonomous region to secede from Iraq and become its own […]