The latest news from Iraq – oil, gas, business and more – brought to you by Iraq Business News
By Robert Tollast. Iraq Energy Institute Director and Brookings Fellow Luay al-Khatteeb (pictured) has written a biography piece for Haider-al Abadi for The Huffington Post. Al-Khatteeb outlines some of the huge challenges Abadi faces, but notes that from 24 years of knowing PM Abadi, the new Iraqi premier is well suited to take on the momentous […]
By John Lee. The United States is now far more open to Iraqi requests for increased military support to fight ISIS, The Wall Street Journal reports. Previously, initiatives to sell arms and rapidly transfer foreign military sales such as F-16s and Hellfire missiles have been slowed by concerns in Congress regarding Nouri-al Maliki's authoritarian style of leadership. […]
By John Lee. Thousands of fighters from as many as 25 pro-government tribes have launched a coordinated offensive against ISIS fighters in the Western Iraqi province of al-Anbar. The leader of these "Sahwa" fighters, Sheikh Abdel Jabbar Abu Risha, announced that the offensive was not related to Maliki stepping down and had been planned for […]
By Patrick Schmidt. A Kurdish oil tanker has arrived at the Croatian port of Omisalj and is preparing to begin offloading its cargo in the coming days. This delivery represents a success for the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in finding a buyer for their crude following legal threats from Baghdad. These threats have previously deterred […]
By Patrick Schmidt. After remaining in the hands of the Islamic State (IS) the Mosul Dam and surrounding areas have been mostly recaptured by Kurdish security forces. American airpower over Northern Iraq assisted the Kurdish in recapturing the facility during their offensive. The United States announced that it had launched 14 strikes against Islamic State […]
By Patrick Schmidt. For a terrorist organization, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) follows relatively normal business practices. It may come as a surprise to those not familiar with the group, but the organization has published an annual report revealing its secrets to success and longevity. ISIL is thought to earn at […]
By John Lee. The United Nations have declared the highest level of emergency in northern Iraq, estimating that over a million people have been displaced in the aftermath of the June offensive by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Nicolay Mladenov, head of UNAMI (United Nations Assistance Mission: Iraq) has said that in […]
By John Lee. In an effort to improve cash flow, the Abu Dhabi National Energy Co. (TAQA) have ended acquisition plans for some projects in Iraq and India.Security does not appear to have been a factor in the company's decision regarding an Iraq based project. However, the company are taking some precautions with ongoing oil […]
By John Lee. It's something many academics and Maliki observers have long feared: that if cornered, Maliki would use loyalist Iraqi forces, in particular the Iraqi Special Operations Forces, to hold onto power. Instead, The Wall Street Journal have reported that Maliki has pledged to pursue his fight to retain the top spot through the courts, […]
By Patrick Schmidt. Following the arrival of additional American military advisors to Iraq yesterday, the Defense Department reported that some of those troops had traveled to Sinjar Mountain. After almost a week of airstrikes by American aircraft and a simultaneous offensive by Kurdish security forces, thousands Yazidis who were trapped on the mountain can now […]
By Patrick Schmidt. While the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’s (ISIL) conquest of oil fields and major dams has garnered the attention of the international community, the seizure of some of Iraq’s most valuable farmland has not received the same amount of attention. ISIL has large portions of Iraq’s top five most productive […]
By John Lee. Following on from France's move to rapidly supply Kurdish Peshmerga led forces with arms and equipment, Germany's Federal Ministry of Defence has pledged "non lethal aid" to the Iraqi army. Typically, non-lethal aid is sent when a matter is politically sensitive, or if a government has reservations about supplying one side in […]
