The latest news from Baghdad – security updates, business, construction projects and more – brought to you by Iraq Business News
By John Lee. BBC reports that Iraqi security forces have begun building a 300km (186 miles) wall around Baghdad in an effort to prevent attacks by the Islamic State group (IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh). The new barrier, which will include a two-metre deep trench and surveillance cameras, will surround the city from all sides, an […]
Hundreds of thousands are living under harsh conditions in the makeshift camps of Anbar, Baghdad and other provinces after fleeing fighting in and around Ramadi. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) recently delivered badly-needed food, blankets, soap and other basic necessities to over 900 people who had just fled from Ramadi to Habbaniya […]
The US embassy in Baghdad has confirmed that "several" Americans have been kidnapped in the city. BBC News quotes a state department official as saying: "We are working with the full co-operation of the Iraqi authorities to locate and recover the individuals." US officials did not say how many were held or where they were […]
By Simon Kent. Iraq's southern oil exports remained close to their recent record of 3.37 million bpd, which was hit in November, Reuters reports. Possibly lessened by several days of maintenance work at the Single Point Moorings at the Basra terminals, the figures for December were slightly lower, at 3.27 million bpd. This closes a good year […]
Prime Minister Dr. Haider Al-Abadi received in his office on Sunday a delegation from the Korean company Hanwha which is implementing the Bismaya residential project. The delegation gave a presentation on progress reached on the ground for the project, where the first three thousand residential units to best standards have been completed in full, with […]
By Simon Kent. Christmas has been celebrated in Baghdad for centuries, but over time the small Christian minority has been dwindling at an alarming rate, especially since they have been singled out by ISIS. There are now thought to be only half a million Christians left in Iraq, out of a population that was once […]
By Simon Kent. For the first time since 1972, Baghdad has held its first beauty pageant for the title of "Miss Iraq." The winner, Shaymaa Abdelrahman, a 20 year old from the contested city of Kirkuk, said that she would use her new found public profile to launch education initiatives for children displaced by fighting in […]
By Simon Kent. Turkish President Reccip Tayyip Erdogan has announced that further withdrawals of Turkish troops are being made from Iraqi Kurdish territory following pressure from Baghdad and Washington. Baghdad had previously called the deployment of Turkish soldiers to a KDP Peshmerga base "an illegal incursion" and Barack Obama called Erdogan asking him to de-escalate tensions. […]
Bombardier Welcomes Arab Wings and Iraq Gate to the Family of CRJ Series Aircraft Customers and Operators Bombardier Commercial Aircraft has welcomed Jordan-based Arab Wings, and its joint venture partner Iraq Gate, to the family of CRJ Series aircraft owners and operators. Iraq Gate commenced service in March 2015 with its first CRJ200 aircraft, adding […]
By John Lee. Saudi Arabia has re-opened its embassy in Baghdad, 25 years after relations were broken over Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. The embassy will have an initial staff of 35 people, and a consulate is expected to open later in Erbil. Diplomatic relations were restored in 2004 after the toppling of the Saddam Hussein […]
By Simon Kent. The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority has suspended flights from Baghdad to Sulaymaniyah and Erbil in the Kurdish region of Iraq (KRI) for two days, effective from today. The move follows concern that Russian jets and cruise missiles pass though that airspace from the Caspian Sea region, to targets in Syria. It is […]
By Simon Kent. In a striking admission of the policy of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) Minister of Natural Resources Ashti Hawrami (pictured) has described the outcome of the political deadlock with Baghdad, which has led to secret oil exports by the KRG. Quoted in Reuters, Hawrami says that following former PM Nouri-al Maliki's blocking of the KRG […]
