By John Lee. Australia's SBS News has published CCTV footage purporting to show the explosion that temporarily closed the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline earlier this week. It appears to show an electricity pylon falling on the pipeline. According to Kurdish news agency Rudaw, a group affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) had claimed responsibility for the […]
Tag Archives | PKK
Erdogan's plans in Iraqi Kurdistan may Backfire
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. For about 10 years, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which controls Erbil and Dahuk provinces in Iraq, has enjoyed close working relations with the Turkish government on trade, energy […]
Baghdad seeks Concessions before Negotiating with Kurds
By Kamal Chomani for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Trying to jump-start discussions with Iraq's central government, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Erbil recently announced it will respect the Iraqi Federal Court's ecision that the KRG independence referendum was unconstitutional. But Baghdad has amplified its demands for opening a dialogue, which […]
Tags: featured, KRG, Kurdish Independence, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Kurdistan News, PKK, referendum, Rex Tillerson, United States
Border Crossings deepen Baghdad-Erbil conflict
By Adnan Abu Zeed for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. In a Nov. 14 press conference, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi warned the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) authorities that he will not wait long to take control of […]
Qandil: Controversial Kurdish Region, Inside the Kurdish Region
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. You don’t need to drive very far from the major Iraqi Kurdish city of Sulaymaniyah to exit the terrain controlled by the government of Iraqi Kurdistan. Twenty minutes from the […]
Video: The struggle for an independent Sinjar
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. A power struggle is underway in the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar. Much of it is in ruins after Kurdish fighters, aided by US air strikes, defeated ISIL. But many of them are […]
Iran, Turkey fight over Tal Afar
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. “Tal Afar will be the cemetery of Turkish soldiers should Turkey attempt to take part in the battle,” Hadi al-Amiri, the head of the Badr Organization and a leader in […]
PKK "planning to Sell Oil trough Iran"
By John Lee. BasNews reports that the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is planning to extract crude oil in the border areas it controls in the Kurdistan Region and transport it to Iran by truck. According to some local sources, a PKK team is building a new 5-km road across the border areas of Kurdistan Region […]
Tags: featured, Iran, Kurdish Workers Party, oil smuggling, PKK, Qandil Mountains, Sargali, smuggling
Turkey Thwarts Bomb Attack on KRG’s Oil Pipeline
By John Lee. The Tukish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources has said its security forces defused a bomb on Saturday on the oil pipelines between Iraqi Kurdistan and Ceyhan port in Turkey. The ministry claimed that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) was behind the attempted attack. (Source: BasNews) (Sabotage image via Shutterstock)
Turkey Reopens Iraq Border Crossing
By John Lee. The Habur border crossing between Iraq and Turkey has reopened on a limited basis on Tuesday, but with only 1,250 vehicles being allowed to through each day, according to Today's Zaman. Turkey had closed the crossing on 14th December due to ongoing clashes between Turkish security forces and the Kurdistan Workers' Party […]
Why Defeating the IS won't bring Stability to Iraq
By Ali Mamouri for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraq’s most urgent challenge is to eliminate the Islamic State (IS), but that battle will be just a prelude to myriad conflicts in liberated areas such as Sinjar and Tuz Khormato if the rival […]
Tags: caliphate, featured, ISIL, ISIS, Islamic State, KRG, Kurdistan News, PKK, terrorism, Turkey, Yazidis, Yezidis
How Renewed Turkey-PKK Conflict Threatens KRG
By Mohammed A. Salih for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraqi Kurdistan's prospects of stability might be affected by the renewed resolve by Turkey's Justice and Development Party (AKP) to fight the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), even after its spectacular […]