By Mushreq Abbas for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The United States has finally decided that Iraq's security and humanitarian situations require immediate military intervention. US President Barack Obama's Aug. 7 speech consolidated this decision and spelled out the US mission on two levels: […]
By Patrick M Schmidt. Senior Officials in the Turkish ruling party announced that the country would do everything it could to ensure the security of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). The announcement follows reports of Turkish fighter jets on patrol over the region. “As a strategic neighbor the stability and security of the Kurdistan Region […]
By Patrick M Schmidt. In the wake of other airlines and the American Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) ban for American commercial airlines, Abu Dhabi based airline, Etihad Airways, has announced that they will redirect their aircraft around Iraqi airspace. The airline has cancelled all flights to Erbil, but will maintain its current flight operations to […]
By Patrick M Schmidt. As the United States begun strikes against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants, Canadian oil firm, Oryx, began evacuations of staff from their facilities in the Kurdistan region. The company announced that portion of its Demir Dagh oil field had been shut down. Drilling and other operations continued […]
By Patrick M Schmidt. Following the announcement of targeted strikes against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) declared that American airlines could no longer transit through Iraqi airspace. This statements comes following other individual airlines rerouting their flights around Iraq. The FAA had previously mandated that American […]
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Many analysts blame months of political instability across Iraq for the current crisis facing the government. The combination of the rise of the Islamic State group, Kurdish opposition and weakening support from Iran […]
Statement by Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby on Airstrikes in Iraq At approximately 6:45 a.m. EDT, the U.S. military conducted a targeted airstrike against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorists. Two F/A-18 aircraft dropped 500-pound laser-guided bombs on a mobile artillery piece near Erbil. ISIL was using this artillery to […]
By Patrick M Schmidt. Despite relative success in stemming the advance of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants, Kurdish security forces faced their first major defeat on Thursday. Sources report that Kurdish security forces have been forced to withdraw and that the vital Mosul Dam now lays under control of the extremists. […]
By Patrick M Schmidt. While Kurdish security forces battle Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters on the ground, the Turkish Air Force has begun gathering intelligence on the militants’ movement from the air. Following a meeting between Turkish leadership, as many as eight jets were scrambled from Diyarbakir airbase. The Turkish leadership […]
From Amnesty International. Panic has taken hold in north-western Iraq as tens of thousands of people flee areas where Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) militants are continuing their advance, Amnesty International said. “The situation for Iraqis in the north-west of the country, especially those from the Yezidi and Christian minority communities, is becoming […]
By Patrick M Schmidt. An offensive launched by Kurdish security forces over the weekend has continued into the middle of the week. Their forces have mainly focused on the city of Mosul that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) had previously declared as the capitol of their “caliphate.” Kurdish forces have suffered […]
By Patrick M Schmidt. Almost three-dozen different non-governmental organizations have pushed for action on the part of the American government to respond to the ongoing refugee crisis in the Kurdistan region. It is estimated that the violence that erupted this weekend alone displaced at least 30,000 people as Kurdish and militant forces clashed. It is […]
