Up until Monday, the past week was turning into one of the quietest so far this year, but then a series of mass casualty attacks swept the country, leaving dozens of people dead and injured. Provincial government buildings and security force installations and patrols were the most common targets of the attacks, although civilians were […]
Iraq’s oil wealth is massive, with significant economic potential for years to come. Unfortunately, development is being hampered by endemic violence and ongoing instability. However, the main reserves are not evenly distributed around the country and neither is the violence. By avoiding the violent hotspots companies can still make significant profits with minimal exposure to […]
Levels of violence fell in Iraq last week, but conditions continue to fluctuate and the overall number of attacks has risen gradually since the beginning of the year. Over the past two months the country also appears to have experienced a violent week, followed by a quiet week, in fairly regular alternation. It could be […]
Levels of violence rose again in Iraq last week, as part of what appears to be a gradual trend which has evolved over the past six months. Last week saw attacks concentrated around Baghdad, Mosul and Kirkuk, with several more incidents in Anbar, Diyala and Salah ad-Din provinces. The southern provinces have also seen a […]
Levels of violence are rising in Iraq. While some commentators in the press are referring to the increase as a spike, regular readers of Iraq Business News will understand that the rise has actually been very gradual - but consistent - with the number of attacks building up all the way from the beginning of […]
Overview Levels of violence rose in Iraq last week, making it the worst recorded by AKE since the national elections were held in March 2010. There were over 90 separate attacks documented, mainly in Baghdad and the districts surrounding it, although the southern city of Basrah also saw a rare suicide attack, potentially conducted by […]
A suicide bomber killed at least five police officers when he rammed a car laden with explosives` into a compound in Basrah. The attack on 13 June also left several more people injured. Suicide bombings are a favoured tactic of violent jihadi and predominantly Sunni terrorist organisations. This bracket includes groups such as the Islamic […]
Levels of violence rose in Iraq last week, although conditions were not as bad as a fortnight ago. Most incidents were concentrated in Baghdad, Anbar and Salah ad-Din provinces, with an overall decline in militant activity in the north of the country and a rise in attacks in the south. There has also been a […]
Overview Readers of the weekly update will recall that the last entry detailed one of the most hostile seven days since AKE began contributing to Iraq Business News. Fortunately conditions improved over the course of last week. There was a fall (by half) in the number of bombings reported, while shootings declined as well. Kidnap […]
Overview Levels of violence rose considerably in Iraq last week, making it the worst week so far this year. A spate of bombings in Baghdad, Mosul and Kirkuk left dozens of people dead and injured. The police and military suffered the majority of attacks, but Iraqi oil workers, US soldiers and even three European civilian […]
Overview Levels of violence rose in Iraq over the past week, mainly in the centre of the country, throughout the capital, in the east of Anbar province and the west of Diyala province. Other hotspots included Mosul, Kirkuk, Diwaniyah, Hillah and even Karbala and Basrah. Kurdistan remained largely quiet, although the risk of unexploded ordnance […]
Overview While many have been concerned at the impact of Osama bin Laden’s death on the security situation in Iraq, conditions have not changed significantly in recent days. Levels of violence actually fell last week, although conditions are still worse than normal. The majority of attacks continue to take place in Baghdad, although last week […]
