MYSTERIOUS: 7 - You Need To See This

Iraqi Minister Calls for New Oil Company in Kurdistan

Iraq's oil minister called on Monday for the establishment of a new oil company in its northern Kurdish region to manage the energy contracts signed by the regional government, the oil ministry said in a statement. Minister Ihsan Abdul-Jabbar, speaking at the conclusion of a round of talks with Kurdish…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Apr 11, 2022

Dozens Hospitalized as Iraq Gripped by Dust Storm

A dust storm that has swept through much of Iraq has left dozens of people in hospital with respiratory problems, a health ministry spokesman said Saturday. The storm erupted in the north of the country on Thursday, prompting the cancellation of flights serving Erbil, capital of the autonomous Kurdistan region.…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Apr 9, 2022

Three Missiles Fall Near Oil Refinery in Iraq’s Erbil

Three missiles fell near an oil refinery in Iraq’s northern city of Erbil on Wednesday without causing any casualties or damage, Kurdistan anti-terrorism authorities said in a statement. Iraq’s state news agency cited the statement as saying “initial information show the missiles were launched from Nineveh” province in Iraq. Sources…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Apr 7, 2022

Iraqi Kurdistan Has Energy Capacity to Help Europe, Says Iraqi Kurdish PM

The Kurdish region of northern Iraq has the capacity to make up for at least some of the energy shortfall in Europe, Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said on Monday. Barzani told an industry conference in Dubai that Kurdistan would soon become an important source of energy. "I am confident…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Mar 28, 2022

Iran struck Iraq target over gas talks involving Israel - officials

A nascent plan for Iraq's Kurdistan region to supply gas to Turkey and Europe - with Israeli help - is part of what angered Iran into striking the Kurdish capital Erbil with ballistic missiles this month, Iraqi and Turkish officials say.

Reuters · Mar 28, 2022

Man who grew up with war in Iraq now in Kyiv using his business to help

When Iraqi-born American entrepreneur Emad Ballack watched footage of war breaking out in Ukraine from his office in Iraq's northern Kurdistan region, he decided he had to act.

Reuters · Mar 18, 2022

Israeli Media: 6 Drones Bombed UAV Base in Iran

Israeli media confirmed on Tuesday that Israeli drones destroyed a fleet of Iranian drones in the western Iranian city of Kermanshah in mid-February. The reports come three days after the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) launched ten ballistic missiles at alleged Israeli sites in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Mar 16, 2022

Qaani in Baghdad 2 Days after Iran's Strikes on Erbil

Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force Esmail Qaani arrived in Baghdad on Tuesday in an unannounced visit, two days after the Guards claimed responsibility for ballistic missile attacks against Erbil, the capital of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. Iran said the barrage was retaliation for an Israeli strike in…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Mar 16, 2022

Kurdish Sisters Help Boost Iraq to Weightlifting Victory

In Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, sisters Ines, Israa and Oshin Muhsin have inherited a hefty mantle from their late father, using it to take their country to weightlifting glory. "We want to write the history of women's sports and preserve our father's" memory, Ines told AFP. At just 20, she…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Mar 8, 2022

Heritage of Iraq’s Last Few Jews at Risk

In a busy district of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, there is little to distinguish the faded brick building, except for a Hebrew inscription above the entrance. Iraq's Jewish community was once one of the largest in the Middle East but its members have dwindled to a handful, outside of the…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Mar 3, 2022