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Levels of violence fell in Iraq last week, but the overall number of attacks was still above average. At least 69 people were killed and 179 injured in nationwide incidents. A total of 48 bombings left 42 people dead and over 160 injured. A rise in small arms attacks left 27 people dead and 11 injured.

North
Mosul experienced a significant proportion of last week’s violence. The security forces remain by far the most common target, but ethnic and religious minorities are also a common victim of violence. Militants also attacked electricity pylons and oil infrastructure in Ta’mim and Diyala provinces. Vulnerable assets such as lengthy pipelines and unmanned towers far from urban populations appear to have been deliberately singled out and organisations managing such assets are advised to review their security measures accordingly.

Weekly Attacks in Iraq - the last 6 months

Centre
Most of last week’s violence in Iraq was concentrated along a belt of settlements in the central provinces, stretching from Hadithah in Anbar province, through Ramadi, Fallujah, Baghdad then on to Ba’qubah and Sa’adiyah in Diyala province. There was also a spike in activity in the holy city of Samarra (Salah ad-Din province) as Sunni radical groups appear to be stirring up sectarian tensions.

Three suicide bombings (including one which was foiled in Fallujah) left 18 people dead and 43 injured in the region last week. The use of suicide bombers indicates the enduring, and indeed rising activity of radical Islamists, including those affiliated with al-Qaeda. Given the latest rise in attacks in the region it would appear that the group is attempting to implement a co-ordinated and sustained campaign of violence aimed at discrediting the security forces and driving a wedge between the Sunni and Shi’ah communities. This in turn could lead to a worsening in conditions and put a major strain on the security forces.

At least six people were also kidnapped in what appears to have been a mini-spike in abductions in Anbar province last week. AKE will be issuing its next quarterly kidnap report in July. If you would like to purchase a copy in advance please contact [email protected].

South
The south of Iraq was relatively quiet last week, although there was a handful of non-fatal but nonetheless concerning attacks in Maysan and Dhi Qar provinces. Militia groups appear to be increasing their attacks against rivals organisations and their supporters, with a number of bombs detonated outside the homes of politically-connected individuals over recent weeks. However, casualties from these attacks remain minimal, while most economic interests (including the energy and construction sectors) are not being affected.

John Drake is a senior risk consultant with AKE, a British risk mitigation company working in Iraq since 2003. You can access AKE’s intelligence website Global Intake here, and you can obtain a free trial of AKE’s Iraq intelligence reports here.

By Joan Kibler, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Middle East District.

Though its construction program is a fraction of what it once was in Iraq, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to manage $350 million in projects there to help build facilities for the sovereign nation.

In seven years starting in 2004, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, or USACE, completed more than 5,000 projects in Iraq with a value of $8.8 billion. The construction program was part of the efforts to secure a new and reliable government for Iraq.

Today, Iraq's government and the U.S. enjoy bilateral relations based on mutual goals.

The arrangement, known as the Strategic Framework Agreement for a Relationship of Friendship and Cooperation between the United States and the Republic of Iraq, was designed to help the Iraqi people stand on their own while protecting U.S. interests, according to the U.S. Embassy-Iraq.

USACE officials said they remain committed to delivering projects that support the nation's sovereignty through the Middle East District's Iraq Area Office.

"Our role is to deliver infrastructure that contributes to stability and security," said Lt. Col. Anthony Mitchell, officer in charge, Iraq Area Office. The primary customers are the Office of Security Cooperation-Iraq, or OSC-I, and the Iraq Strategic Partnership Office; both are part of the U.S. Embassy-Iraq.

"All of our projects, whether providing equipment for the Basrah Children's Hospital to benefit Iraqi people or constructing C-130 aircraft facilities to reinforce Iraq's national security, contribute to Iraq being a sovereign nation and a strategic partner for the United States," Mitchell said.

Iraq's electricity problem could be solved by the end of the 2013, according to Iraq's deputy prime-minister with responsibility for energy.

Husain al-Shahristani (pictured) told local reporters, “this year power output will reach 9,000 megawatts and skyrocket to 20,000 megawatts in 2013”.

AKnews reports that he made the remarks as he inaugurated a new 400MW power station in Diwaniya. According to AIN, the project consists of two 200MW units installed by South Korea's STX.

Shahristani said Iraq had 20 major power construction contracts with foreign firms and these are to be completed before 2013.

If all goes according to plan, he said, Iraq might have surplus electricity for exports in 2013.

(Source: AKnews)

The Kurdistan Regional Government's Head of Foreign Relations officially opened a new Representation Office in Vienna on Saturday, making it the 13th KRG representation office abroad. At the same time, Austria's Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister announced that Austria also plans to open a representation office in Erbil as well.

Minister Falah Mustafa opened the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) representation in Vienna along with Iraq's Ambassador to Austria, Dr Surood Najib, and the Head of the Middle East Section with the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Dr Friedrich Stift.

In his speech Minister Mustafa congratulated Dr Mustafa Ramazan, the new KRG Representative to Austria, on his assignment to his post. “This new KRG Representation Office, with its Head, Dr Mustafa Ramazan, will provide a direct point of contact for businesses, government, institutions and individuals from each of our respective sides, and we will use every resource at our disposal to further develop and support the relationships that this connection makes possible.”

Dr Ramazan said, “We open this office in line with the Constitution of the Republic of Iraq. It is within this framework that the KRG Representation in Austria will work vigorously to further deepen the existing relations between the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and Austria.”

Minister Mustafa and Dr Ramazan recalled the historical relationship between the peoples of Kurdistan and Austria. Minister Mustafa said, “The government of the Republic of Austria was responsible for transporting and receiving the first 100 Kurdish refugees from refugee camps in Iran in the 1976 crisis. They ensured that these 100 individuals received an equal share of the opportunities afforded to all Austrian citizens, including housing and education. Many of these people have now become prominent members of the Austrian and Kurdish societies...The people of Kurdistan are, and will remain, tremendously grateful for this and for other significant assistance that you provided for us at a number of critical moments in our history during the 1970s, 80s and 90s.”

Minister Mustafa met Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger at the Austrian Foreign Ministry, accompanied by the KRG Representative and the Iraqi ambassador. At a press briefing after the meeting, Minister Spindelegger announced his country’s plans for a representation office in Erbil early next year. He said, “This is a great step forward. It will be a special trade office, where we can handle all the different issues of getting enterprises involved in more cooperation but at the same time to handle visa issues.”

Minister Mustafa also gave a keynote address at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna. He highlighted the history of the Kurds and their struggles for universal rights: “We will continue to utilize every political tool at our disposal to achieve a federal government of true partnership that is based on the federal constitution. However, we will not become a part of a return to the old Iraqi traditions of centralized power and authoritarianism. We in the Kurdistan Region have come too far, and suffered for too long to allow this to happen.

The speech was followed by a panel discussion between Minister Mustafa, Ms Maria Fantappie, a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, political analyst Mr Joost Hiltermann of the International Crises Group. It was moderated chaired Dr Cengiz Günay, a scientific researcher with the Austrian Institute for International Affairs (OIIP).

Minister Mustafa highlighted the tremendous growth that Kurdistan has seen in recent years, saying: “Since the formation of our regional government, and especially since the fall of the dictatorship, we have seen progress in all aspects of our daily life. Health care, education, electricity, agriculture, roads, housing, shopping centers, and general infrastructure have been dramatically improved, and continue to be developed.”

This was the KRG Austria Representation’s first official event and was coordinated with the think tank the Austrian Institute for International Affairs, and with the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna. Commenting on the discussion, Dr Ramazan said, “Hosting events such as this panel discussion are important for facilitating dialogue and cross-cultural understanding that is essential for gaining an appreciation of the realities that the Kurds face. I believe we were able to achieve that here today with our international panelists and look forward to continuing the ongoing dialogue between our peoples.”

During his three-day visit Minister Mustafa also attended the 5th OPEC International Seminar in Vienna and a reception hosted by Iraq's Oil Minister Abdul-Kareem al-Luaibi, who holds the rotating presidency of the organisation.

The director of Karbala Investment Commission, Taef Abdul Hussein, has announced that an Iranian company will shortly build a waste recycling plant 10 km south of Karbala city.

According to the report from Aswat al-iraq, the $48 million plant will process glass, wood and fertilizers, and will produce electricity.

As a result of religious tourism, the city generates large volumes of waste.

(Source: Aswat Al Iraq)

Aswat al-Iraq has reported that a new Iranian electricity supply line has started operations, carrying 100 MW of electricity from Iran.

The new line is aimed at meeting the 550 MW of power required by Wasit province. The province currently only receives less than 150 MW from Iraq’s national grid, and consequently suffers from regular electricity blackouts.

Abdolhamid Farzam, the Energy Ministry official in charge of foreign exchanges, stated that new power lines and installations have become operational for exporting electricity to Iraq, raising Iran’s electricity exports to its western neighbor to 1,200 MW.

(Sources: Tehran Times, AME Info, Aswat al-Iraq)

The Iraqi government has decided to increase the fund for importing electricity to $1.7 billion, according to a report from AKnews.

Government spokesperson Ali al-Dabbagh (pictured) said the increase was made following a request from the Ministry of Electricity.

(Source: AKnews)

KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani announced a strategic, tripartite energy agreement yesterday between companies from the Czech Republic, Turkey and the Kurdistan Region to build a new power plant.

The agreement brings together the Czech Export Bank, Czech company PSG International, Turkey’s Renaissance Construction and KAR Group, the Kurdistan Region’s largest company, to build and finance the power plant.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Prime Minister Barzani described the progress that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) had made over the years in meeting the electricity and energy demands of its citizens.

He said, “We are continuing our efforts to achieve more progress; we are taking steps to further modernise the electricity sector, and we will continue these efforts until we can provide all the necessities of our dear citizens in this sector throughout the region.”

The Czech Republic’s Minister of Industry and Trade Martin Kuba, who is leading a large business delegation to Kurdistan, said that he was impressed with the continued economic growth and stressed the importance of strengthening bilateral ties with the KRG.

Minister Kuba said, “Today, we do have a number of Czech companies doing good business in Kurdistan, however, there are many more opportunities for further engagements; we are here to explore those opportunities.” He also commended the KRG’s efforts to empower the private sector, saying the results had produced notable success.

This article was written by Ahmed Younis, Khalid Waleed and Mustafa Mohammed, and was originally published by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, iwpr.net. 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.

Residents of Iraq’s volatile Nineveh province say they are cautiously optimistic that their lives will get better because Sunni Arab and Kurdish politicians have decided to work with rather than against one another.

After Iraqi president Saddam Hussein was ousted in 2003, this northern province became one of the most dangerous places in the country, despite American, Iraqi and Kurdish efforts to crush the Sunni insurgents and al-Qaeda militants who made Nineveh their base.

Security is still a serious issue, along with poor public services and high unemployment, and residents blame many of the problems on continued animosity between local Sunni Arab and Kurdish leaders.

The Arabs have accused Kurdish leaders and their “peshmerga” troops of abuses and discrimination against non-Kurds. They have also accused the Kurdish authorities of seeking to incorporate Nineveh into the Kurdistan Region to the north.

Kurdish politicians argue that it is their community that has been persecuted, and that Sunni Arab insurgents have killed several thousand of them in the provincial capital Mosul in recent years.

The Kurdistan Regional Government's Head of Foreign Relations on Wednesday received Slovakia's Ambassador to Iraq, Miloslav Nad, to discuss the upcoming establishment of a Slovakian representative in Erbil.

“The Government of the Republic of Slovakia is committed to further strengthen its relations with Kurdistan Regional Government,” said the Ambassador. He highlighted the development and progress being achieved in the Kurdistan Region in various fields, saying “Our government is in the process of opening an honorary consulate in Erbil very soon.”

Minister Mustafa welcomed the news, noting, “Opening a representation will allow you to discover more of Kurdistan and witness the vast opportunities for Slovakian investment and business that exists in Kurdistan.” He went on to highlight a variety of fields, especially agriculture and tourism.

The Ambassador also talked about the memorandum of understanding that was signed between the European Union and Iraq this month. “Iraq is taking a positive step toward establishing stronger political and economical relations with European Union, and we as a member of the European Union support such a memorandum,” he said.

Ambassador Nad also touched on the Syrian Kurdish refugees receiving shelter and assistance in a camp in Dohuk province, noting the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) and UN’s assistance for the displaced people. The ambassador discussed a planned trip to see some clean water projects that the Slovakian Government is carrying out there.

The Slovakian Ambassador pointing out that the overall security situation in Iraq is getting better, and he was particularly impressed with the level of security that has been maintained in Kurdistan.

Both sides went on to talk about the importance of enhancing political, economic and cultural relations between Slovakia and Kurdistan Region, highlighting a number of specific projects such as a joint Kurdish, Slovakian the Czech Republic business partnership for electricity production in Kurdistan.

(Source: KRG)