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Renewed Saudi-Iraq ties ‘to rival Iran’s influence’

in ASIA/PRESS RELEASE/REGIONS by

A recent warming of ties between Saudi Arabia and Iraq could signal a move away from Iran’s influence over Baghdad, analysts say, but with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. Saudi Arabia and Iraq inaugurated a coordination committee and signed a number of agreements. The developments come after years of tension between Saudi Arabia and Iraq. In a statement addressing the inauguration of the committee, King Salman of Saudi Arabia said the body presents the two countries with a “historic opportunity to build an effective partnership to achieve common aspirations”. As part of the agreements, Saudi Arabia will open a consulate in Iraq, relaunch airline flights between the two countries, open the border, and jointly develop ports and highways. The two nations also agreed to allow Saudi investment in Iraq, study a trade exchange area, and review customs cooperation agreements.

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Iraqi forces, Coalition liberate 10,850 square kilometers in Hawija

in MIDLE EAST/PRESS RELEASE/REGIONS by

Iraqi forces regained control of 10,850 square kilometers from the Islamic State (ISIS) in Hawija, a military spokesman said on Thursday (October 12). Spokesman of Joint Operations Room of the Iraqi Army, Yahya Rasul, said during a press conference with Coalition forces spokesman, Colonel Ryan Dillon, that the Iraqi forces backed by the Coalition, continue advancing against the ISIS militants. “We will celebrate victory over the recapture of the areas controlled by Daesh”, Rasul added, using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State. The Iraqi Prime Minister last week confirmed the capture of Hawija, ISIS’ last stronghold in the north of the country, leaving the militant group holed up in pockets of land near the Syrian border.

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Baghdad plans to reopen oil pipeline to Turkey, bypassing Kurdistan

in MIDLE EAST/PRESS RELEASE/REGIONS by

Iraq has plans to reopen the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline to Turkey which will bypass the pipeline used by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), posing threats of increasing economic sanctions in the wake of Kurdistan’s referendum for independence. Jabar al-Luaibi, Iraq’s oil minister, announced on Tuesday preparations to begin the process of restoring and reopening the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline. The federally-controlled Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline was destroyed by militants in 2014, prior to ISIS capturing territory that the pipeline ran through. The pipeline passes through Salahaddin and Nineveh provinces. Rehabilitation of the pipeline can begin now that the area has been cleared of “terrorist gangs”, the Oil Ministry stated.

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EU Ambassador to Iraq supports dialogue between Erbil and Baghdad

in MIDLE EAST/PRESS RELEASE/REGIONS by

European Union Ambassador in Iraq hoped the Kurdistan Region and Iraq resolve the outstanding issues between both sides through dialogue. A statement by the Kurdistan Region’s Presidency (KRP) on Monday (October 9) said Masoud Barzani received an EU delegation in Erbil, headed by Ambassador Ramon Blecua, to discuss several issues including the relations between Erbil and Baghdad as well as the Kurdish referendum. Ambassador Blecua expressed readiness to “play an effective role in mediation between Erbil and Baghdad”, the KRP’s statement read. The ambassador also noted the “need to be more united as we collectively face the terrorists of the Islamic State”, the statement said. Tensions between the KRG and the central government hit a high in 2015, after officials from both sides accused each other of failing to abide by the terms of an oil revenue sharing deal struck by officials in December 2014.

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At least 100 European Isis fighters ‘to be prosecuted in Iraq, with most facing death penalty’

in MIDLE EAST/PRESS RELEASE/REGIONS by

At least 100 European Isis fighters will be prosecuted in Iraq, with most facing the death penalty, the country’s ambassador to Belgium has reportedly said. Jawad al-Chlaihawi said Belgians were among those detained, along with [terrorists] from Russia, Chechnya and Central Asia. Fighters from around the world joined Isis’s call to arms when the group established its so-called caliphate across Iraq and Syria in 2014. British fighters, including the notorious Mohammed Emwazi, also known as ‘Jihadi John’, were among them. He is believed to have been killed in a drone strike in Raqqa, Syria in 2015. Mr Chlaihawi told Belgium’s RTPF there were around 1,400 family members of foreign fighters of suspected Isis members, including children, being held near Mosul. Many are reportedly from Turkey, and former Soviet countries in Central Asia, but there are also believed to be some French and Germans among them.

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Iraq; Salim al-Jabouri: ” Regional countries’ interference poses threat to Iraq’s stability, security”

in MIDLE EAST/PRESS RELEASE/REGIONS by

Iraqi Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri on Sunday revealed that his visit to Erbil to meet with the Kurdistan Region President was meant to “de-escalate tensions” between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). The Iraqi Parliament Speaker visited Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, and met with Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani to discuss collective efforts to improve relations between Erbil and Baghdad. “Following the referendum on Sep. 25, the regional countries have become part of the tension [between Erbil and Baghdad] which has posed a threat to the security and stability of Iraq”, Jabouri said in an official statement following the meeting. He explained the meeting was organized “to find a solution to the current turmoil and end the issues between the central government and the Kurdistan Region”.

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Taliban and ISIS members join peace process in East of Afghanistan

in MIDLE EAST/PRESS RELEASE/REGIONS by

A number of the Taliban militants and insurgents belonging to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) Khorasan have joined peace process in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. Officials in the 201st Silab Corps of the Afghan National Army in the East said the militants were previously busy conducting insurgency and terrorist related activities in the southern parts of the province. The anti-government armed militant groups have not commented regarding the report so far. Nangarhar is among the relatively calm provinces in East of Afghanistan but the anti-government armed militants have increased their insurgency activities in some districts of the province during the recent years.

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The United Nations warned that milions of displaced peaple in the Middle East are at extreme risk

in MIDLE EAST/PRESS RELEASE/REGIONS by

The United Nations (U.N.) warned on Tuesday (October 3) that millions of refugees across the Middle East are unlikely to receive the help they need for the winter months. The U.N. Secretary General’s spokesman, Stephane Dujarric also warned that the U.N. refugee agency was lacking funds for its winter assistance plan for the region. “There are nearly 15 million Syrian and Iraqi refugees and internally displaced people scattered across the region. UNHCR estimates that as many as four million are in the extreme risk category and need timely and substantial help to prepare for the forthcoming winter”, Dujarric told journalists at the United Nations headquarters, adding that just one quarter of those most at risk are likely to get the assistance they need. “The $245 million Regional Winter Assistance Plan for the region is only 26 per cent funded”, he said.

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Iraqi forces invade the center of Hawija town on wednesday

in MIDLE EAST/PRESS RELEASE by

Iraqi forces invaded on Wednesday the center of Hawija town, Islamic State’s major bastion in southwestern Kirkuk, the Iraqi military command said. The Popular Mobilization Forces’ media outlet had said earlier on Wednesday that Iraqi forces  fully recaptured the town, but a later statement by the Joint Operations Command suggested that the invasion of the town’s center was just beginning. It said army, Federal Police, Rapid Response Forces, and PMF caused “serious losses” for IS militants with the invasion. JOC field commander, Abdul-Amir Yarallah, said operations have so far seized back 98 villages and left 196 militants dead. The decisive onslaught came as part of a second stage of operations launched last Friday to seize the town held by Islamic State militants since 2014. The first phase of operations launched on September 24th, and managed to retake eastern Shirqat, an Islamic State haven in neighboring Salahuddin province.

 

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Iran, Iraq launch joint military drills

in MIDLE EAST/PRESS RELEASE/REGIONS by

Iran and Iraq have started out joint military maneuvers in the Islamic Republic’s west and northwest to practice providing security for their common borders. The drills, codenamed Eqtedar (Authority), recruit armored, artillery, and infantry units of the Iranian Army, the drone and helicopter squadrons of the Ground Forces of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), as well as some units enlisted with the Iraqi Army, ISNA reported on Monday. The exercises span the borders of Iran’s West Azarbaijan and Kordestan Provinces. Speaking on the sidelines of the drills, the IRGC’s Ground Forces Commander Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour said, “Facing common enemies, Iran and Iraq consider ensuring the security of their long borders against threats to be a perpetual and common necessity”.

 

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