Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Margot Wallstrom, received Minister Falah Mustafa, Head of the KRG Foreign Relations, on Monday to discuss bilateral ties and latest humanitarian and security developments in Kurdistan and the wider region. In welcoming Minister Mustafa and his accompanying delegation, Foreign Minister Wallstrom said, “We enjoy excellent relations with the Kurdistan Region […]
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. In northern Iraq, Kurdish Peshmerga forces are also trying to re-take territory occupied by ISIL. One of the key battles is in the village of Sultan Abdullah. Peshmerga forces were reportedly in full […]
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Peshmerga forces are being accused of a possible war crime in Iraq. A video has emerged showing Peshmerga soldier shooting dead a captured fighter from the Istamic State of Iraq and the Levant […]
PM Abadi’s political manoeuvres continued to lead to a number of dismissals within key ministries. On 01 December, the Prime Minister retired 24 senior Interior Ministry officials as part of government restructuring. This decision comes as central authorities uncovered an estimated 50,000 ‘ghost soldiers’ on the military payroll, prompting the government to take steps towards […]
According to casualty figures released today by UNAMI, a total of 1,232 Iraqis were killed and another 2,434 were wounded in acts of terrorism and violence in November 2014. The number of civilians killed was 936 (including 61 civilian police), while the number of civilians injured was 1,826 (including 71 civilian police). A further 296 […]
Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani today welcomed Chief of Staff of the United States Army, General Raymond Odierno, who is visiting to assess firsthand the status of the fight against ISIS terrorists and the cooperation between the Peshmerga, the coalition forces and the Iraqi forces. General Odierno commended the bravery of the peshmerga forces and […]
Following Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s decision to reshuffle senior security commanders, Deputy Interior Minister Adnan al-Asadi, an ally of former PM Nouri al-Maliki, was removed from his position. Since assuming office, Abadi has been seeking to clear key government positions from Maliki’s influence, which is effectively strengthening the Iranian-backed Badr Organisation and one of its […]
A resolution was introduced to the US Congress that would authorise the US government to supply military equipment, weapons, and training directly to Kurdistan Regional Government Peshmerga Forces. House Resolution 5747, a bi-partisan resolution, was introduced into the House Foreign Affairs Committee by Chairmen Ed Royce and Ranking Member Eliot Engel. The bill authorises the […]
The fate of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who may have been targeted in airstrikes conducted against an ISIS convoy in Mosul and a gathering of militants in the border town of al-Qaim in Anbar is unlikely to have dramatic effects on security dynamics in Iraq. If these reports were confirmed however, ISIS could decide to launch […]
By Robert Tollast. “How is electricity?”, I asked. “Excellent” replied Marwan, a young student of Physics at the University of Dhi Qar. Marwan (not his real name) is studying wireless transmission, and one of his lecturers is currently in Leicester studying with a British Council initiative to bolster the academic capacity of Iraqi universities. Will […]
According to casualty figures released today by UNAMI, a total of at least 1,273 people were killed and another 2,010 were injured in acts of terrorism and violence in October*. The number of civilians killed was 856 (including 139 civilian police), while the number of civilians injured was 1,490 (including 172 civilian police. A further […]
By Anne-Laure Barbosa at Constellis Consulting The Iraqi parliament’s approval of Sunni MP Khaled al-Obeidi as defense minister, and Mohammed al-Ghabban, a Shia member of the Badr Organisation, as interior minister, will provide a stronger political foundation for Abadi to counter the ISIS insurgency. Ghabban’s appointment follows weeks of negotiations and resistance from Abadi to nominate […]
