Weapons Market Surges During Syria Conflict

By Omar al-Jaffal for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. More than two years ago, Mohammed al-Fatlawi was selling light weapons to men who felt threatened by security militias, those who were involved in carrying out acts of tribal revenge or even […]

Security Checkpoints Bringing Baghdad to Halt

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. A Necessary Evil: Baghdad’s Security Checkpoints Bringing City to Halt With an increasing number of checkpoints in Baghdad making an already stilted traffic flow even worse, it feels as […]

Poor Fight for Wealthy Neighbours’ Garbage

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. One Man’s Rubbish: Basra’s Poor Fight for Wealthy Neighbours’ Garbage Gangs of poor people in Basra are making a living sifting through rubbish in the oil boomtown’s affluent neighbourhoods. […]

Sectarian Militias Assume Larger Role

By Mushreq Abbas for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Militiamen in Iraq do not only carry weapons, they also wield religious, moral and economic power over their social environment. They play the role of neighborhood governors in times of peace […]

Call to Open Another American University in Iraq

By Harith Hasan for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Dawa Official Calls for Opening Another American University in Iraq While the number of Iraqi students studying in the United States has been on the rise in the last few years, the […]

Sri Lanka Develops Relations with Kurdistan

The Ambassador of Sri Lanka, Sumith Nakandala, has visited the Kurdistan Region and met with the Head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations, Minister Falah Mustafa to discuss a wide range of issues including ways of enhancing bilateral relations. The meeting was attended by the Deputy Head of the DFR, Karwan Jamal and the […]

Iraqi-Jordanian Talks in Baghdad

A high-level Jordanian delegation headed by the Prime Minister of Jordan, Mr. Abdullah Alnusur, arrived on December 25th accompanied by eight ministers and a number of senior advisers. The delegation was received at the airport in Baghdad, by Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari and Minister of Youth and Sports. A formal reception took place at the […]

Iraq Closes Border With Syria

Prim Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government ordered the Iraq border with Syria closed on Tuesday to aid a massive military operation hunting for al-Qaeda and militant hideouts in the western desert of Iraq. Iraq’s Prime Minister Maliki has been a strong supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and reports suggested that his government was facilitating the transfer […]

BIS To Accept Additional Deposits From Iraq

The Central Bank of Iraq announced on Sunday that it has received a memo from the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) in Basel Switzerland announcing that it will accept more deposits from Iraq. “This procedure will contribute in increasing Iraq’s money revenues after keeping it in a very secure location,” the Central Bank explained. The […]

Iraq's Cihan Bank To Open UAE Branch

Cihan Bank, a leading private sector Islamic bank from Iraq, is planning to set up a representative office in the UAE and has plans to enter into tie-up with leading UAE banks, according to reports from Gulf News. “Currently, we have an office in Dubai," Gulf News quoted Nawzad Yahya Bajger, vice chairman of Cihan. […]