By John Lee. Germania has suspended air services to Erbil, which has come under increasing threat from Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL) terrorists. Germany's Federal Ministry for Transport (Bundesministerium für Verkehr und digitale Infrastruktur - BMVI) has prohibited all flights by German airlines to Erbil until 30th March 2015 (inclusive). Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Emirates, Etihad […]
By John Lee. President Obama will host Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi at the White House on Tuesday, April 14. According to a statement from the United States' Embassy in Baghdad, the Prime Minister’s visit underscores the strategic partnership between the United States and Iraq and the strong U.S. commitment to political and military cooperation […]
By Ali Hashem for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Even to those who have hunted him and followed his every move, Islamic State (IS) Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi remains a mystery. “Before anything I want to understand why he became like […]
By Mohammed A. Salih for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. While the United States has invested trillions of dollars and thousands of lives since 2003 to bring Iraq into its orbit, today it is Iran that appears to have achieved that […]
By Luay Al-Khatteeb and Harry Istepanian, of the Brookings Institution. The need to confront and drive back the forces of the Islamic State (IS, ISIS. ISIL) has pushed long-term reform efforts in Iraq far down the list of priorities. Yet pressing economic reforms – such as restructuring and rebuilding the country’s energy sector – increasingly […]
From AFP. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Ancient Iraqi artifacts seized or tracked down by US Customs were put on display at the Iraqi embassy in Washington at an event to mark their repatriation, even as parts of Iraq remain under […]
By John Lee. Three Iraqi civilians were reportedly killed on Wednesday when a booby-trapped truck exploded near the Kuwaiti border in Iraq. The Kuwaiti news agency KUNA quoted a local Iraqi official as saying that the explosion happened at a garage near the main road about 12 km (7.5 miles) north of the Safwan border […]
Militias, volunteer fighters, and Iraqi security forces engaged in deliberate destruction of civilian property after these forces, following US and Iraqi air strikes, forced the retreat of Islamic State fighters (also known as IS, ISIS, ISIL) from the town of Amerli and surrounding areas in early September 2014, Human Rights Watch said in a report […]
By Patrick Schmidt. Iran already holds a growing position of influence in Iraq and this position has grown once again. The Iranian government has dispatched a number of advanced missile and rocket systems to Iraq to aid the in the fight against the Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL). The systems seem to be Fajr-5 rockets […]
By Patrick Schmidt. Kurdish security officials report that the Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL) has once again used chemical weapons against its forces. The IS used chlorine gas twice against the Peshmerga outside of the city of Tikrit. The militants have used the gas before against the Peshmerga. The last reported gas attacks by the […]
Minister Falah Mustafa, Head of KRG Department of Foreign Relations today received Mr. Kentaro Sonoura, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan and his accompanying delegation to discuss latest developments and bilateral ties. Minister Mustafa briefed the Vice-Minister on the military, humanitarian, and economic challenges facing the Kurdistan Region as well as the political process […]
By John Lee. Militants from the Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL) have reportedly destroyed ruins at the ancient city of Hatra, 110km (68 miles) south-west of Mosul. The UNESCO world heritage was founded during the Parthian Empire over 2,000 years ago. "The destruction of Hatra marks a turning point in the appalling strategy of cultural […]
