Security Update 18 June 2014
By Anne-Laure Barbosa at Constellis Consulting ISIS related violence in the last 48 hours Tel Afar The situation remains extremely fluid and reporting largely disrupted across the North. Iraqi forces backed by local police and Turkmen groups recaptured ISIS positions in the district of Tal Afar, which fell under ISIS control on Monday. These gains followed […]
Weekly Security Update, 10 - 16 June 2014
A spectacular ISIS offensive launched on 10 June across the North forced the ISF to retreat and regroup into the southern districts of Salahuddin. Most of Nineveh, including its capital Mosul, and the northern section of Salahuddin, encompassing Tikrit, are now under insurgent control. The number of reported fatalities, recorded at 387, while much higher […]
ISIS Fights Virtual War in Cyber Horror Show
By John Cookson. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Gruesome images and videos from Iraq have sparked revulsion around the world as ISIS militants video executions and upload them on the internet. Grisly stills and videos appear on jihadist websites often days […]
Paul Bremer: Obama to Blame for Iraq
From CNN. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Paul Bremer talks to Erin Burnett about what he thinks are the options for the U.S. military in Iraq to help stop ISIS:
Foreign Minister Meets British Trade Envoy
By John Lee. Foreign Minister, Hoshyar Zebari, discussed Iraqi - British relations at a recent meeting with the British Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Hugh Robertson. Theyy also reviewed the latest political and security developments, especially the attacks of the terrorist and armed groups (Islamic State in Iraq and Sham ISIS, DAASH, and the remnants […]
Sistani Stresses Unity over Sectarianism
By Ali Mamouri for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Sistani Stresses Need for Unity over Sectarianism in Battle for Iraq As the security situation in Iraq has been severely deteriorating, news was posted on June 13 claiming that Shiite cleric Ali Sistani has […]
Supreme Court Certifies Election Result
The following article was published by Reidar Visser, an historian of Iraq educated at the University of Oxford. It is reproduced here with the author’s permission. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. It’s official: The provisional result of Iraq’s 30 April general election, published last month, […]
Video: Washington's Options in Iraq?
From CNN. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Andrew Stevens speaks to Gen. Anthony Zinni about what the U.S. can do to help slow down ISIS' military conquest in Iraq:
Video: US Holds Talks with Iran over Iraq
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. US President Barack Obama is weighing up how to deal with a Sunni-led rebellion in Iraq. The Obama administration is considering working with its longtime foe Iran, after fighters from the Islamic State […]
Security Update 16 June 2014
By Anne-Laure Barbosa at Constellis Consulting www.constellis-consulting.com ISIS related violence in the last 48 hours Tal Afar The multi-ethnic and religiously-mixed town of Tal Afar, mostly populated with Sunni Turkmen, reportedly fell to ISIS insurgents early on Monday and is now being hit by Iraqi airstrikes. This development is neither surprising nor significant, as the majority of […]
Oil Price Surges amid Iraq Turmoil
By John Cookson. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Traders will tell you the price of oil is a speculative market based on expectations. Most of Iraq's oil production is from the mega fields in the south, far from any fighting. But […]
Despite Uprising, Kurdish Oil Exports Rise
By John Lee. Reuters reports that Iraqi Kurdistan is ramping up independent oil exports, with a third tanker of crude scheduled to leave the Turkish port of Ceyhan on 22nd June. The supply of oil through the Kurdistan Regional Government's new pipeline to Turkey has continued uninterrupted, despite the escalating violence in northern Iraq. Speaking […]