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. The New York Times has reported that French President Francois Hollande has endorsed the appointment of Haider al-Abadi as Iraq's new PM, and with Baghdad's approval France is now ready to send arms to Kurdish forces. The move comes after the Kurdish President Massoud Barzani remarked that the Peshmerga were not sufficiently […]
By Patrick Schmidt. The Independent Human Rights Committee of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have made public their attempts to get the international community to recognize the crimes committed against Yazidi minorities. The spokesman of Independent Human Rights Committee, Mohammed Gomashini, noted: “Our committee started to attempt recognition of IS crimes against Kurdish Yazidi people […]
By Patrick Schmidt. Defence secretary Chuck Hagel has announced that additional military advisors are being deployed to Iraq. On Tuesday, an additional 130 American military advisers arrived in the country. The staff are tasked with accessing the ongoing humanitarian crisis taking place in the north of the country. This announcement comes almost a week after […]
By Patrick Schmidt. Following recent gains of Kurdish security forces, in addition to a recent setback in Jalawla in northern Diyala, American officials have hinted that various government agencies have begun supplying Kurdistan with weapons to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). To date, America has mostly focused its attention on […]
By John Lee. As Barack Obama pledges to send more security assistance, including arms, advisers and possibly more air strikes to the KRG, The Wall Street Journal has reported renewed confidence displayed by KRG aligned forces. The famed Kurdish Peshmerga, no strangers to combat having once resisted Saddam's forces, have reportedly re-taken the villages of Gwair (north […]
The following article features an interview with Mantid International CEO Ginger Cruz. Robert Tollast’s opinions expressed in the article do not necessarily represent the views of Mantid International, nor do the opinions expressed here necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The vast majority of Iraqis, Shi'a, Kurd and Sunni, are preparing themselves to […]
By John Lee. The Italian Industry Ministry has issued a letter to refineries and traders, warning of legal action that may be taken by Iraq's State Oil Marketing Company in the event of purchasing oil from the Kurdish region. At the time of writing, the cargo vessel United Leadership was moored in the Mediterranean, laden with […]
By Ufuk Sanli for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The Kurdish administration in northern Iraq and the Baghdad government are at loggerheads over oil exports. The tanker carrying the first cargo of independently exported oil from northern Iraq is crisscrossing […]
By John Lee. DNO International ASA ("DNO"), the Norwegian oil and gas operator, today announced that production from the Tawke field in the Kurdistan region of Iraq reached 120,021 barrels of oil per day in May, the first time average monthly production has exceeded 100,000 barrel per day. May production was split 60-40 between local […]
By John Lee. Michael Knights, a Fellow at the Washington Institute of Near East Policy, has spoken to the Anadolu news agency about problems and opportunities with Iraq's energy sector. In the piece, entitled Iraq Potentially Turkey's Biggest Energy Supplier, Knights discusses the lack of institutional and human capacity which has hindered some of Iraq's more ambitious […]
