Italian military to train Kurdistan’s military police

A total of 65 Kurdish military police officers from the Zeravani were selected to undergo a 6-week training event conducted and supervised by the Italian military. The goal of the training was to fine-tune the Zeravani’s capabilities in matters such as close protection, protest containment, and force protection operations. The Zervanai Command’s Brigadier General Dedawan Khurshid, […]

Kurdish held seats in parliament remain unchanged after recount of votes is completed

Iraq’s independent electoral body announced this week that there were no significant changes to the number of parliamentary seats following the recount of May’s election. This included those of the Kurdish political parties, which after national outcry, demanded a manual recount of the votes. Kurdish parties were up in arms claiming that fraudulent voting practices […]

Australia revokes citizenship of Islamic State affiliates

This week the Australian government announced that five dual citizens were stripped of their Australian citizenship after it was discovered they had taken part in the Islamic State collective in Iraq and Syria. To date, six Australians have been stripped of their citizenship for taking part in the Islamic State’s activities. The law was changed […]

Muqtada al-Sadr and the new Iraqi government

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has had a fairly successful track record up to this point despite some serious issues the country has faced during his time in office. Muqtada al-Sadr’s spokesman, Sheikh Salah al-Obeidi, claims that Abadi’s predecessor Nouri al-Maliki stands no chance whatsoever though. Maliki’s failures led to the rise of the Islamic State through his severe transgressions against […]

Kurdistan’s prime minister meets with incoming Dutch consul general

The Kurdistan Regional Government’s Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani met with future Dutch Consul General Willem Cosijn this week. The two political figureheads discussed the future of their nations’ relationship; they also focused heavily on improving the region’s agricultural sector according to Kurdish media outlets. Barzani had previously met with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in June at the Hague where […]

The dangers of an Islamic State resurgence in Iraq and Kurdistan

Just last week, Islamic State gunmen executed 20 Iraqi’s belonging to the Shamari tribe in the town of Baaj. The Islamic State is far from finished in the region and pockets of resistance exist within Iraq as small sleeper cells that are striking terror into civilians and security forces alike. Iraqi officials have warned the local […]

Turkey intends to reopen consulates in Iraqi-Kurdistan

On Friday last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that his nation planned to reopen their consulates located in two of Iraq’s largest cities. The Mosul and Basra consulates have had their doors shut for quite some time now (approximately four years) but the move by Turkey may be in an effort to strengthen trade […]

Turkey’s ban on flights to and from Sulaymaniyah airport in Iraqi-Kurdistan continues

The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority has recognized the need to confront the flight ban by the Turkish government into the Iraqi-Kurdistan Sulaymaniyah International Airport. Sulaymaniyah provincial governor Haval Abubakr met with Iraq’s Civil Aviation Authority over the weekend to discuss the issue and seek assistance. Iraqi officials have agreed to bring up the issue with the Turkish […]

Peshmerga reform is a necessary and imminent change that Iraqi-Kurdistan must embrace

The Kurdistan Regional Government is working with the Ministry of Peshmerga and United States-led coalition to officially reform the Peshmerga into a unified fighting force, despite political differences. Acting Minister Karim Sinjari confirmed this to local media this week, saying that the 70th and 80th forces will eventually be joined with the Ministry of Peshmerga, forming […]

Conflict with Hashd al-Shaabi forces Saladin provincial leaders to demand their withdrawal

The Saladin Provincial Council, leaders of a region just north of Baghdad, have asked the Prime Minister of Iraq, Haider al-Abadi, to facilitate the withdrawal of the paramilitary Hashd al-Shaabi forces from the region. The head of the provincial council, Ahmed Abdulkarim, cautioned that, “The situation of Saladin province is unstable. Arms and other weaponry have spread […]

Muqtada al-Sadr releases list of demands for incoming Iraqi Prime Minister

Muqtada al-Sadr, Iraq’s parliamentary leader and former commander of the Mahdi Army militia, has put forth a list of requirements for Iraq’s next prime minister. Sadr’s Victory Coalition political party won the majority of votes, 54 in total, this past parliamentary election by appealing to the general public and the low-income majority of Shiite citizens. A […]