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 […]
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. On July 26, the Iraqi government announced that the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) will be converted into “an independent military formation affiliated with the armed forces’ commander-in-chief.” The Shiite force […]
By Jean Aziz for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. A hotel in Beirut was the scene of a series of secret meetings Aug. 8-11 between a diplomatic delegation that included representatives from Western countries and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and a delegation […]
By Mustafa Saadoun for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Will Popular Mobilization Units participate in Battle for Mosul? Ever since Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) was founded three days after the Islamic State (IS) took control of Mosul on June 10, 2014, the PMU […]
By Shelly Kittleson for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Bloody power struggles continue in Iraq’s disputed territories The security situation in Tuz Khormato continues to deteriorate. On June 18, a car bomb exploded just outside the local headquarters of the largest […]
By Simon Kent. Iraq's PM Haider al Abadi has announced that a major battle to retake Fallujah from ISIS has begun. The town fell under the control of the terrorists in January 2014, after security deteriorated following months of Sunni protests against the government of Nouri al Maliki. Protesters accused Maliki of rounding up hundreds […]
By Mustafa Saadoun for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraq is facing a new crisis with Saudi Arabia as a result of their differing points of view regarding regional issues, most notably those related to Lebanon-based Hezbollah, which was recently classified […]
By Mustafa Saadoun for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Saudi ambassador's comments on Popular Mobilization Units stir ire of Iraqis The Saudi ambassador to Baghdad, Thamer Sabhan, who was appointed to this position by Saudi Arabia on June 2, 2015, has […]
By Omar al-Jaffal, for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraq is experiencing a resurgence in the abductions of foreigners, something that had tapered off in recent years. Three new incidents include the kidnappings of 18 Turkish workers in September, 26 Qatari hunters in […]
By Mustafa Saadoun for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. It’s official: Sunnis joining Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units Sunnis are saying "sign me up" now that Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has approved the appointment of 40,000 Sunni fighters to the Popular […]
By Simon Kent. Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi faces new political pressure over the payment of salaries for the 100,000 strong Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) or Hashd al-Shaabi, as they are known in Iraq. The Hashd al-Shaabi were formed last summer after a call from the holy figure Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani, to defend […]
By Adnan Abu Zeed for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Are Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units heroes or villains? In September 2014, Ahmed al-Khafaji enlisted at the age of 25 in the Popular Mobilization Units, which were formed in accordance with a religious fatwa issued […]
