The latest news from Kurdistan – security updates, reconstruction and more – brought to you by Iraq Business News.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned the murder of a Kurdistan TV cameraman near Kirkuk and the previous day’s violence against media personnel by demonstrators in Erbil. The two separate incidents in the space of a few hours point to an alarming decline in the security of journalists in northern Iraq. The cameraman, Arkan Shareef, […]
Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces said on Monday that the country’s border with Iraqi Kurdistan region will reopen in coming days. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a local ceremony, Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri pointed to the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party led by Masoud Barzani’s attempts in the Iraqi Kurdistan […]
By Mustafa Saadoun for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. With its shelves filled with books by Russian and Italian authors alongside contemporary Iraqi writers, Books Town provides a welcome refuge in Baqubeh in Diyala governorate, which is known […]
By Bryant Harris for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Congress is threatening to stop sending weapons to Baghdad after reports today that Iraqi forces and Iran-backed Shiite militias are shooting at US-friendly Kurdish forces in northern Iraq. Iraqi federal […]
Statement from Kurdistan Regional Government: As Iraq and Kurdistan are faced with grave and dangerous circumistances, we are all obliged to act responsibily in order to prevent further violence and clashes between Iraqi and Peshmerga forces. Attacks and confrontations between Iraqi and Peshmerga forces that started on October 16, 2017, especially today's clashes, have caused […]
By Fazel Hawramy for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Around 8 p.m. on Oct. 15, an Iranian general from the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) accompanied by Iraqi Commanders Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Hadi al-Ameri sat down […]
From AFP. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. With the return of Kirkuk to Iraqi control, the balance of power appears to have shifted between the ethnic communities in the Kurdish-majority city, to the delight of its Turkmen residents.
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. About 100,000 Kurds have fled the Kirkuk region since it was retaken by Iraqi forces from Kurdistan's regional government (KRG). The UN says it is worried by reports of civilians being forcibly displaced […]
By John Lee. Iraq's Ministry of Oil has hit back at Rosneft's recent decision to enter a production-sharing deal with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) without its approval. In a statement, the Ministry warned: "The ministry of oil warns seriously all the countries and oil companies from contracting or dealing with any authority inside Iraq […]
Russia's Rosneft and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have announced the start of joint implementation of an infrastructure project for the operation of the oil pipeline in the Kurdish Autonomous Region. According to a statement from Rosneft, its share in the project "may amount to 60%". "The other project participant with 40% share will be KAR […]
In a statement released on October 18, the Kurdish Independent High Electoral and Referendum Commission (IHERC) said it had decided to suspend the preparations for the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections, due to be held on November 1, due to the recent violence in Kirkuk and other disputed territories. The suspension is due to not […]
The Council of Ministers of the Kurdistan Regional Government held a meeting on Thursday to discuss the latest developments in the region. Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani attended the meeting and discussed the situation in Kirkuk and other areas that witnessed tensions and clashes this week. The Council of Ministers […]
