By John Lee. Iraqi Kurdish security forces have prevented Iraqi government soldiers from reaching a disputed area that borders Syria, according to this video from Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera's Omar Al Saleh reports from the Fishkhabour border crossing between Iraq and Syria: (Source: AlJazeera)
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 […]
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 […]
By Shalaw Mohammed. 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. Oil smuggling is virtually a tradition in the oil-producing areas of Iraq. And local authorities are trying to prevent it. But, as this tale of oil […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
