Cabinet Increases Budget for Kirkuk Olympic Stadium
By John Lee. The Iraqi Cabinet has approved an increase in the total budget for the Kirkuk Olympic Stadium project to 33,500,000,000 dinars ($28 million). In a statement, it said it had directed relevant ministries to take the necessary measures to implement this measure. (Source: Iraqi Govt)
Coalition Forces Suspend anti-ISIS Ops
By John Lee. The US-led coalition fighting the so-called Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh) has announced the suspension of operations. In a statement, Operation Inherent Resolve said: "Our first priority is protecting all Coalition personnel committed to the defeat of Daesh. Repeated rocket attacks over the last two months by elements of Kata'ib Hezbollah […]
Backgrounders on Qasem Suleimani
For those wanting to know more about Major General Qasem Suleimani and his significance in Iraq, we'd recommend this excellent 10,000-word piece written by Dexter Filkins for The New Yorker in 2013. (Hat tip to Mary FitzGerald for bringing it to our attention on her excellent @MaryFitzger Twitter feed). Click here to read. There is […]
Video: Protests Against US and Iranian Interference
From AFP. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Students protest against American and Iranian interference Iraqi students take to the streets in the Iraqi city of Karbala to protest against the US and Iran's interference in Iraq. View on YouTube
Tracing Iraqi Sovereign Debt
By John Lee. Simon Hinrichsen, a PhD student at the London School of Economics (LSE), has published an analysis of Iraq's sovereign debt over the years. The full 51-page report can be downloaded here. (Source: LSE)
GardaWorld Weekly Security Report
GardaWorld, a global leader in comprehensive security and risk management, has made its weekly security report available to Iraq Business News readers. Prepared by GardaWorld's Risk Analysis Team in Iraq, this essential report includes short- and medium-term outlooks on the security situation, reports and commentary on recent significant events, and a detailed overview of developments […]
Rapiscan Wins $12m Contract for Security Scanning
By John Lee. Rapiscan Systems Inc., Torrance, California, has been awarded a $12,251,887 firm-fixed-price Foreign Military Sales (Iraq) contract for contractor logistics support services for M60 High Energy Mobile Scanning Vehicle Systems and associated equipment. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Iraq with an estimated completion date […]
PM Condemns Killing of Qasem Soleimani
By John Lee. Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abd Al-Mahdi, who also serves as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, has issued the following statement on developments in Iraq: "We condemn in the strongest terms the assassination by US forces of Iraqi and Iranian figures who were symbols of the victory against Daesh. "The assassination of an […]
Statement from the US Department of Defense
Statement by the Department of Defense At the direction of the President, the U.S. military has taken decisive defensive action to protect U.S. personnel abroad by killing Qasem Soleimani (pictured), the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and […]
Iraq seeks bids for Iraq-Jordan Oil Pipeline
By John Lee. Iraq's Ministry of Oil has invited bids fto build the Iraq-Jordan oil pipeline. The first phase will be built on the Iraqi side, stretching 700 km from Rumaila to Haditha. This will have a capacity of 2.25 million barrels per day (bpd). This will be built on an engineering, procurement, construction and […]
Iraq signs Electricity deal with GCC
By John Lee. Iraq has reportedly signed a deal with the Gulf Cooperation Council Interconnection Authority (GCCIA) to import electricity at a rate of 500 megawatts of electricity from Sunni Arab gulf countries before next summer, Iraqi Ministry of Electricity spokesperson a told state newspaper on Thurday. According to Rudaw, the GCCIA will fund the […]
SOSi Wins $124m Deal at Camp Taji
By John Lee. SOS International LLC (SOSi), Reston, Virginia, has been awarded a $124,248,732 modification (P00012) to contract W52P1J-19-C-0010 for base life support and security services at Camp Taji Green Zone, in support of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve. Work will be performed in Taji, Iraq, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 30, […]