US Expands Airstrikes on IS
By John Lee. American aircraft have reportedly bombed Islamic State (ISIS, ISIL) fighters near Baghdad on Tuesday. US Central Command said the airstrike was "the first taken as part of our expanded efforts beyond protecting our own people and humanitarian missions". A spokesman said it was "an important strike" in Sadr al-Yusufiya, 25km (15 miles) […]
$69m Contract for Hellfire Missiles
By John Lee. Hellfire Systems LLC, of Orlando, Florida, has been awarded a $68,721,521 [80 billion Iraqi dinar] modification (P00104) to firm-fixed-price, foreign military sales contract W31P4Q-11-C-0242 to acquire 1,361 Hellfire II tactical missiles in containers and air-to ground missiles: model AGM-114R, AGM-114R-3, AGM-114P-4A, TGM M36E7, and ATM-114Q-6. The countries involved in this foreign military […]
Iran to Increase Cement Exports to Iraq
By John Lee. Iraq has agreed to increase cement imports from Iran. Jahanbakhsh Sanjabi Shirazi, the head of Iran-Iraq Joint Chamber of Commerce, told Fars News Agency: "As of September 1, each (Iranian) company can export 15,000t of cement into the neighbouring country from Shalamcheh, Chazzabeh and Mehran border terminals." He noted that the new […]
World Economic Forum visits KRG
Mr Miroslav Dosek, Head of Middle East and North Africa section of the World Economic Forum (WEF), visited the KRG Department of Foreign Relations to discuss economic developments in Kurdistan as well as the current security and humanitarian situation. Mr Dosek said, “The achievements and the success of the Kurdistan Region are very much lauded […]
UN calls for more Shelter, Protection
After concluding a three-day visit to Iraq, UN Humanitarian Chief Valerie Amos (pictured) said today that additional support is needed ahead of the long winter months for people who have been displaced by fighting, and for the communities supporting them. Iraq is facing an escalating emergency with up to 1.8 million Iraqis displaced since January. […]
$1.8m Support for Parliament, Civil Society
As part of its continued support to Iraq’s parliament, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today signed with the Council of Representatives in Baghdad a project of US$1,797,999 funded by the Government of the Kingdom of Sweden. This initiative aims to strengthen the legislative and oversight role of the parliament, which now begins its third […]
IS-Controlled Areas Banned from Hajj
By John Lee. The Iraqi government has not provided planes for citizens of the provinces of Nineveh, Salahaddin, Anbar and all areas under the control of Islamic State insurgents, who wish to undertake Hajj pilgrimage. According to the report from BasNews, the has angered Sunni people who live in IS-controlled areas. Hajj is an annual Islamic […]
Currency Auction Results, 16th Sept
By John Lee. The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) has reported that 19 banks took part in its currency auction on Tuesday. A total of $236,497,000 was sold at a price of 1166 Iraqi Dinars (IQD) per dollar. (Source: Central Bank of Iraq)
International Community Supports Baghdad Against IS
At an international conference in Paris, the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, representatives of European and Arab states, and representatives of the EU, Arab League and United Nations, have all pledged to help the government in Baghdad fight against Islamic State militants. The full statement from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs is […]
More Assistance for Displaced Persons
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has pledged to intensify its humanitarian activities in Iraq, and to increase assistance for more than 1.5 million Iraqis displaced as a result of continuous fighting in various parts of the country. The pledge was made during a visit to Iraq by Movement leaders that included the […]
Iraq-Iran Gas Pipeline Operational by March
By Patrick M Schmidt. The Managing Director of the Iranian Gas Engineering and Development Company, Alireza Gharibi, said he expected tests to begin on the new Iran-Iraq gas pipeline by next month. "Operations for the construction of Iran-Iraq gas pipeline are complete and we are now in the pre-startup testing phase, after which the pipeline […]
German Advisors Arrive in Kurdistan
By Patrick M Schmidt. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has welcomed forty German military advisors who will begin training Peshmerga security forces on weapons newly received from Germany. The advisors have previous experience training foreign militaries. The German military assistance package is valued at $92 million and is aimed to assist in their fight against […]