By John Lee. American aircraft have reportedly bombed Islamic State (ISIS, ISIL) fighters near Baghdad on Tuesday. US Central Command said the airstrike was "the first taken as part of our expanded efforts beyond protecting our own people and humanitarian missions". A spokesman said it was "an important strike" in Sadr al-Yusufiya, 25km (15 miles) […]
By John Lee. The Iraqi government has not provided planes for citizens of the provinces of Nineveh, Salahaddin, Anbar and all areas under the control of Islamic State insurgents, who wish to undertake Hajj pilgrimage. According to the report from BasNews, the has angered Sunni people who live in IS-controlled areas. Hajj is an annual Islamic […]
At an international conference in Paris, the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, representatives of European and Arab states, and representatives of the EU, Arab League and United Nations, have all pledged to help the government in Baghdad fight against Islamic State militants. The full statement from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs is […]
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Shia militias fighting against the Islamic State group (IS) in Iraq have been accused of exacting revenge against Sunnis. Kurdish fighters say the Iranian-backed Badr brigade, has carried out reprisals against villagers suspected […]
By Padraig O'Hannelly. The world has broadly welcomed the approval by the Iraqi parliament of the new cabinet of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. While the formulation of the new cabinet attempts to keep all factions involved and working together, it was clear from al-Abadi's speech that his arm was twisted in the negotiations, and that […]
By John Lee. At the request of the government of Iraq to provide urgent military support, the UK will supply heavy machine guns and nearly half-a-million rounds of ammunition. China's Xinhua news agency values the assistance at $2.6 million (3 billion Iraqi dinars). According to the statement from the British Ministry for Defence, this will […]
By John Lee. Al Jazeera reports that Saudi Arabia has unveiled a 900-km multi-layered fence along its border with Iraq. The project, which includes five layers of fencing equipped with watch towers, night-vision cameras and 50 radars is aimed at cutting the "number of infiltrators, drug, arms and cattle smugglers to zero". In 2009, Riyadh […]
By John Lee. The Financial Times reports that US forces, Iraqi government troops and their militia allies say they have cleared Islamist militants threatening the crucial Haditha dam (pictured) in Anbar province, in Washington’s first attack in direct support of Baghdad since the launch of US operations a month ago. Baghdad has controlled the dam […]
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. Extremists And Errant Cleric Wrecking Karbala’s Tourism-Based Economy The southern Iraqi city of Karbala makes a lot of its money from religious tourism; it is the site of some of […]
Axel Plathe, Director of UNESCO Office for Iraq, condemned today the bombing that targeted the house of Iraqi reporter Maytham Al-Shibani in Diwaniyah, calling for more efficient measures to ensure the safety of media professionals in Iraq. “On behalf of UNESCO, I strongly condemn the recent attack that targeted Maytham Al-Shibani, and I call the […]
From AFP. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. School buildings in Iraq are frequently the only ones large enough to shelter the influx of families fleeing the advance of the Islamic State:
By John Lee. The KRG's Minister of Natural Resources, Ashti Hawrami, has said repairs to the Baiji refinery will take more than a year, following attacks by militants of the Islamic State in June. According to the report from NINA, he also confirmed that shipment of oil through the pipeline linking Kirkuk and the Turkish […]
