All articles - Iraq

The Agencies' Gazette
PKK leaders, DGSI, SCO, DoS in Georgia, France-Ukraine

Appointments, reforms and the issues at stake: every Monday, Intelligence Online serves up snippets big and small from the global intelligence community. This week, from Sinjar to Paris via Shanghai, Kyiv, Washington and Tbilisi.

IraqPKK renews high command's mandate and reaffirms strategic priorities

FranceDGSI's role in counterterrorism secured

Russia/ChinaBeijing counts on Russia to promote SCO

USA/GeorgiaWashington confirms its commitment to Tbilisi

France/UkraineFlorence Parly sticks to low estimate on Paris's Ukraine spending

Lebanon's Primesouth tries to shake off Iraqi impasse with ICSID trial

Primesouth International Offshore's rapid expansion in the Middle East is mired by a dispute with the Iraqi state, now the subject of an ICSID arbitration, as its unencumbered Chinese rivals continue to gain ground in Iraq.

The Agencies' Gazette
Pentagon and Ukrainian titanium, Mukhabarat, PUK

Appointments, reforms and the issues at stake. Every Monday, Intelligence Online serves up snippets great and small from the global intelligence community from London to Paris via Nur-Sultan.

United States Pentagon preps to join titanium war

Egypt The Mukhabarat al-Amma gets authority to extend its business interests

Iraq Bafel Talabani sacks his intelligence chief by way of conciliation

Potential Iraqi Rafale purchase publicised by Norman Ricklefs unlikely to fly

The Australian consultant who has long made Iraq his home caused a stir in the world of French defence last week with remarks that Baghdad wants to purchase Rafale jets and drones from France. In Paris, however, the project is still very much in its infancy, even almost non-existent.

The Agencies' Gazette
Saudi GIP, Jeremy Wright, Hidalgo, Georgian National Security Council

Appointments, reforms, issues of concern: every Monday, Intelligence Online serves up a miscellany of news items great and small from the global intelligence community. This week, they come from Paris, Saudi Arabia, London and Tbilisi.

Saudi Arabia/IraqThe General Intelligence Presidency reopens talks with the Anbar tribes to try to block Iran.

FranceIntelligence expert Floran Vadillo is advising French presidential candidate Anne Hidalgo.

United KingdomTelecommunications surveillance champion Jeremy Wright joins the ISC as it battles for greater powers

GeorgiaThe National Security Council gets a new chief of staff

Pasdaran tries to engage Popular Mobilization Forces in Houthi rebellion

With Yemen's Houthi forces feeling the strain of heavy losses, Iran is struggling to find new recruits for the conflict locally and is now hoping to send in Iraqi fighters.

Chen Xianzhong spearheads Chinese push into Baghdad

China has its eye on Iraq's energy assets but previous setbacks mean it is proceeding with caution. To make the right impression, Beijing is putting the focus on new school construction contracts that were facilitated by a Chinese businessman who has lived in Iraq for many years.

Spotlight
Syrian and Iraqi spymasters share challenge of cross-border insecurity

Determined to make the road between Baghdad and Damascus a prosperous trading route, the Syrian and Iraqi authorities are very aware of the need to secure their border in the light of continued sporadic attacks from the Islamic State group.

Iraqi intelligence anxious as US pursues its military operations in Baghdad

Although the International Coalition has announced that it is ending its combat missions in Iraq, American troops are continuing to fly over demonstrations in Baghdad, aggravating the already palpable febrility of the pro-Iranian militias. This is causing anxiety in the Iraqi security services, who are having to take additional measures to contain potential threats.

Qassem Al Araji treads carefully with results of probe into PM Kadhimi's attempted assassination

After a drone attack on the home of the Iraqi prime minister last month, the country's national security adviser Qassem Al Araji fell short of naming potential perpetrators when unveiling his findings on 29 November to avoid stirring the Shi'ite militia hornet's nest.

Iraqi National Intelligence Service barricades itself in after the attack on Al Kazemi

Following the air strike carried out against prime minister Mustafa Al Kazemi on 7 November, the Iraqi National Intelligence Service he used to head remains under threat from certain pro-Iranian militias. It has strengthened its security arrangements, therefore, to protect itself against possible future attacks.

Traders compete to supply Beirut under Iraqi-Lebanese oil deal

Private companies including BB Energy, a regular supplier to Lebanon, are bidding for the third monthly tender to deliver oil to Beirut under the terms of the Iraqi-Lebanese deal to relieve Lebanon's worsening energy crisis.