Iraqi Kurds Want US Help To Avoid War With Arabs Feb 15, 2009
IRBIL, Iraq, Feb. 14, 2009. Text Size: (AP) The closest U.S. allies in Iraq _ the Kurds _ feel abandoned by Washington these days and say war with the Arab-dominated central government is likely without American pressure to resolve disputes that predate even the era of Saddam Hussein. (CBS News -- World)
Sarkozy visits Iraq, seeks a return to business Feb 12, 2009
He said Iraq's ministers of oil and defense would visit France "to explore ways to increase cooperation." He said France would build a new embassy in Baghdad and open consulates in the southern city of Basra and the northern city of Irbil. France, he added, had canceled 80 percent of its loans to Iraq. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Sarkozy moves to restore ties with Iraq Feb 11, 2009
Maliki also said the French would build a new embassy in Baghdad and open consulates in two Iraqi cities - Irbil in the north and Basra in the south. "Soon a delegation of French companies will be visiting Iraq to discuss doing business in Iraq and not just in the areas of security and defense," Maliki told reporters, adding that Iraq's defense and oil ministers would visit France to discuss cooperation those fields. (Boston Globe)
Sarkozy urges Europe to rebuild ties with Iraq Feb 10, 2009
Al-Maliki told reporters the French would build a new embassy in Baghdad and open two consulates in the Kurdish city of Irbil and in the southern city of Basra, the center of Iraq's southern oil industry. The French president welcomed security gains, saying the decline in violence had paved the way for his visit, but cautioned the situation remained fragile. (Mattoon Journal-Gazette, IL)
Kurd PM criticizes troop movement in Iraqi north Feb 9, 2009
IRBIL, Iraq (AP) The prime minister of Iraq s Kurdish region accused the Arab-dominated national government Saturday of trying to use troops to seize control of the disputed city of Kirkuk, escalating tensions between Iraqi Kurds and the Arab leadership in Baghdad. U.S. officials consider the growing Arab-Kurdish rift as one of the major threats to Iraq s stability as President Barack Obama s administration maps plans to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq. (Sierra Vista Herald, AZ)
Iraq airline signs deal with Boeing Apr 1, 2008
It now operates also to Cairo, Damascus, Beirut and Dubai as well the Iraqi cities of Irbil, Sulaimaniyah and Basra. Just before Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990 the company paid Airbus, a European aircraft maker, $10m for four planes, shipments that never arrived due to UN sanctions. (Aljazeera.Net)
Massive Search For Missing U.S. Troops Mar 31, 2008
The attack in Makhmur, 30 miles south of Irbil, targeted the office of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Massoud Barzani, leader of the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq. Makhmur is not part of the Kurdish-controlled areas of northern Iraq. (CBS News -- Iraq)
Iraq Sunnis boycott reconciliation talks Mar 19, 2008
Cheney spent Monday night at the U.S. military base in Balad, 50 miles north of Baghdad, before flying to Irbil in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq Tuesday. There, he was to meet with Massoud Barzani, head of the regional administration in the semiautonomous area. (MSNBC -- International)
Cheney vows to finish job in Iraq Mar 19, 2008
Mr Cheney then flew to Irbil, capital of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region, where he pressed political leaders to pass long-delayed legislation on sharing Iraq's oil revenues. The law is stalled over disputes over whether the central government or regional authorities should control Iraq's vast oil wealth. (BBC News)
Report: Turkey Levels New Iraq Attack Mar 5, 2008
Turkish planes bombarded Dashti Barzji in Irbil province, about 15 miles from the Turkish border, Iraqi border guard Capt. Saleh Ali told The Associated Press. The area is uninhabited and there were no reports of casualties or damage, he said. (CBS News -- World)
Archbishop Abducted After Mass In Mosul Mar 1, 2008
A Catholic Iraqi woman wears a small photo of Pope John Paul II during a candlelight procession near Irbil, Iraq in April 2005 ... Rabban al-Qas, Iraqi Bishop Rabban al-Qas, the bishop of the northern Iraqi cities of Irbil and Amadiyah, said the church was especially concerned because Rahho, 65, has health problems. (CBS News -- Iraq)
Iraqi Chaldean archbishop seized Mar 1, 2008
Bishop Rabban al-Qas of the nearby city of Irbil said his 65-year-old colleague, who was ordained archbishop of Mosul in 2001, was "in the hands of terrorists". "But we don't know what physical condition [he is in]," he told the Rome-based Catholic news service, AsiaNews. (BBC News -- Africa)
Chaldean Archbishop Kidnapped in Iraq Mar 1, 2008
Rabban al-Qas, the bishop of the northern Iraqi cities of Irbil and Amadiyah, said the church was especially concerned because Rahho, 65, has health problems. He did not elaborate. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- World)
A wild Turkey chase? Feb 28, 2008
That may unravel shortly, and Ahmadinejad is reportedly even interested in going to Irbil in Kurdish northern Iraq. This raises questions about the timing of Turkey's military move inside Iraq, just a few days ahead of Ahmadinejad's trip, seeing how Turkey had refrained for months from committing to such a large-scale military operation, bound to sour Tehran-Ankara relations. (Asia Times Online)
Tensions in Iraq grow with Turkish incursion Feb 27, 2008
IRBIL, Iraq - Lawmakers in northern Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdish region authorized their military yesterday to intervene if Turkish forces pursuing anti-government rebels bring their battle into civilian areas. The move heightened fears that the conflict could draw in Iraqi Kurdish forces and destabilize the one region of Iraq that has been relatively peaceful since the US invasion in March 2003. (Boston Globe)
Lawmakers: Europe Must Do More in Iraq Feb 27, 2008
Lawmakers from the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee called for the EU to expand its presence by operating on the ground in the Kurdish region in the north, among others, and by boosting its operations in the cities of Basra and Irbil. They urged the EU to debate a new strategy in Iraq with the United States and, with Washington, to hold talks with Syria and Iran to discuss Iraq's future "without prejudice to any other issue of concern.". (Newsmax)
Turks claim 41 rebels killed in Iraq Feb 26, 2008
Nechirvan Barzani, prime minister of Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government, on Sunday expressed his concerns about the operation, which he said is targeting "civilian infrastructure." During remarks in Irbil, he emphasized the importance of political solutions. "In the 1990s Turkey, at times with our help, tried to solve the problem of the PKK militarily and today they are trying again. But our experience clearly shows that military methods cannot be successful. I am ready to go to Ankara at any... (CNN -- World)
Turkey's offensive comes at price Feb 26, 2008
Rubin concluded, "As Turkish warplanes bomb terrorist bases in Iraqi Kurdistan, it is time for both Washington and Irbil [capital of the KRG] to reassess their policies. Washington has many cards to play. Sympathy to Kurdistan is understandable, but is increasingly based on myth. US goodwill should never be an entitlement. Barzani may remain an ally, but he has disqualified himself from any substantive partnership. It is time to take a tough-love approach to Iraqi Kurdistan. There should be no... (Asia Times Online)
Turks send more tanks into Iraq against PKK Feb 25, 2008
"We are their friends and we thought we were their allies," said Muhammad Qadir, a shopkeeper in Irbil ... "This is going to destabilise security and safety of the region," Nechirvan Barzani, Iraqi Kurdistan's prime minister, told a news conference in Irbil. (Guardian Unlimited)
Turkey 'opens fire' on PKK in Iraq Feb 22, 2008
Turkish forces "bombed the village of Bassiam, in the Khawarkurk region of Irbil province" at 11am (0800 GMT), General Jabar Yaour, a spokesman for the Kurdish authorities in northern Iraq, said. Ahmed Banz, a spokesman for the PKK, said Turkish artillery fired into the Qalirach area, north of Irbil, which lies close to Iraq's northern border with Turkey. (Aljazeera.Net)
Hospital Official in Iraq Accused of Helping Terrorists Feb 14, 2008
A trusted source of newsand information since 1942. On February 1st, two women were used to deliver a backpack filled with explosives and a suicide vest into the crowded pet markets in Baghdad," he said. At the two pet markets, the explosives were detonated by remote control, indicating the women may not have been willing attackers. Almost 100 people were killed in the attacks. Smith says the hospital official is being held by coalition forces. He says the man is being questioned to determine... (Voice of America)
Trouble brewingHave Kurds gone too far in dictating the future of the new Iraq? Feb 13, 2008
By Crispin Thorold BBC News, Irbil, Iraq ... In Irbil, it is easy to forget that you are in Iraq ... " Arab politicians are increasingly frustrated. Some Kurds believe that the resistance they are now facing in Baghdad is reminiscent of another era. "There is an alarming rise in Arab chauvinism," said one senior Kurdish politician. In the past few weeks there was a glimmer of hope when Iraqi politicians finally agreed on a new national flag. The removal of the three stars on the previous Iraqi... (BBC News -- Africa)
Kurds hoist reworked Iraqi flag Feb 11, 2008
Officials in Irbil flew the flag almost a week after it first flew in Baghdad ... Raising the flag above the Kurdish parliament in Irbil "is a reply to the misunderstanding and feeling that the Kurds are far from the Iraqi government and that they are far from the Iraqi constitution," Adnan al-Mufti, speaker of the National Assembly said after the ceremony. (BBC News -- Africa)
Series Of Iraq Attacks Mark Bloody Sunday Feb 11, 2008
A newly-redesigned Iraqi flag, in which elements reminiscent of the Saddam Hussein regime were removed or altered in order to promote unity within the war-torn country, was raised outside the Kurdish parliament in Irbil, Iraq on Feb. 10, 2008. Meanwhile, more than 1,000 people demonstrated in Baghdad, chanting pro-Sunni and anti-American slogans and unfurling an Iraqi flag dating back to Saddam's rule. (CBS News)
Death by treachery, part 2 (07/16/07) Feb 9, 2008
Khalid speculated the Iranians wanted to get hostages to trade for five suspected Iranian intelligence officers seized by U.S. troops in the northern Iraq city of Irbil on Jan. 11. Khalid conducted his own investigation for the Iraqi police and determined that police officers "were involved in the plot," the report said. (Anchorage Daily News)
Tragic protestAlarming trend of self-immolation by Kurdish Iraqi women Feb 9, 2008
By Crispin Thorold BBC News, Irbil, Iraq. Like their colleagues across Iraq, the doctors and nurses at the Emergency Management Centre in Irbil work relentlessly. (BBC News -- Africa)
Waiting for battleIraqi residents prepare for major assault on al-Qaeda Feb 8, 2008
He has since had one of his legs amputated and is still in the intensive care unit of a hospital in Irbil ... He narrowly avoided being killed and is now in a hospital in Irbil with shrapnel wounds to his legs and one of his arms. (BBC News -- Africa)
New Iraqi flag hailed as symbolic break with past Feb 6, 2008
Last month the National Assembly agreed to adopt the new flag in a move to head off potential embarrassment at a summit of Arab legislators in the Kurdish regional capital, Irbil, later this month ... However, a new design could not be agreed in time for the Irbil conference and so the temporary flag was chosen. (Guardian Unlimited -- World)
Turkish planes bomb Kurdish rebel hideouts Feb 5, 2008
Senior Iraqi Kurdish officials confirmed earlier Monday that Turkish jets bombed areas near the towns of Khnera, Khwakurd and Sidakan in Irbil province. No casualties, official saysThere were no civilian or Peshmerga Kurdish fighter casualties in the mostly abandoned area, said Jabbar Yawar, an undersecretary at the ministry governing the Peshmerga forces of the Kurdistan regional government. (MSNBC -- International)
Turkey Says 70 Kurdish Rebel Targets Hit Feb 4, 2008
IRBIL, Iraq (AP) _ Five Turkish fighter jets bombed suspected Kurdish rebel hideouts in northern Iraq Monday, a senior Kurdish official said ... The area includes the towns of Khnera, Khwakurd and Sidakan in Irbil province, he said. (CBS News -- World)
Turkey Bombs Kurdish Area In Iraq Feb 4, 2008
IRBIL, Iraq, Feb. 4, 2008 ... The area includes the towns of Khnera, Khwakurd and Sidakan in Irbil province, he said. (CBS News -- World)
Iraq ends cooperation with Austria OMV over its Kurdish oil deals Feb 2, 2008
Last November, OMV signed two production-sharing contracts with the self-ruled Kurdistan regional government for two exploration blocks, Mala Omar and Shorish, in Irbil. Irbil, located about 350 kilometers (217 miles) north of Baghdad, is the capital of the Kurdish region, which is made up of three northern Iraqi provinces. (International Herald Tribune -- Sports)
Sadrists seek to end cease-fire Jan 28, 2008
This undated photo provided by Gema Art Group shows an aerial view of the citadel in Irbil, Iraq. Towering above the bustling markets and painted blast walls of modern Irbil, the citadel's narrow alleyways and dusty courtyards stand almost deserted. (Fresno Bee -- Local)
Kindness in conflictExperiencing hostility and hospitality in the Muslim world Jan 27, 2008
It was late at night in Irbil, and there was a problem with the fare. Sometimes it is the taxi driver who wants to keep down the fare. (BBC News)
Some Sunni Muslims won't salute Iraq's new flag Jan 26, 2008
It was rushed through parliament before a pan-Arab parliament meeting that's planned for March in Irbil, in the Kurdish north, because the Kurdish Regional Government prohibits flying Iraq's Saddam-era flag. The Kurds consider that flag a symbol of Saddam's oppression. (AZCentral -- News)
Rescuing Iraqi citadel offers a beacon of hope Jan 25, 2008
APTowering above the bustling markets and painted blast walls of modern Irbil, the citadel's narrow alleyways and dusty courtyards stand almost deserted ... IRBIL, Iraq - Towering above the modern streets and buildings of Irbil, the citadel's narrow alleyways and dusty courtyards stand almost deserted ... Irbil's citadel, claimed to be one of the longest continuously inhabited urban areas on Earth with a history of more than 8,000 years, is in danger. (MSNBC -- Environment)
Flag waves goodbye to Saddam Hussein in sign of unity Jan 23, 2008
The vote was precipitated by a meeting of the pan-Arab parliament in Irbil, capital of the semi-autonomous Kurdish north of Iraq, scheduled for March 10, with the Kurds refusing to fly the present Iraqi flag over their public buildings. The present flag was first flown after the Baath Party seized power in a coup in 1963. (Times Online)
Divisions remain as Iraqi MPs battle over new flag Jan 23, 2008
The president of the Kurdistan regional government, Massoud Barzani, banned the Iraqi flag in 2006, and Kurds have threatened not to fly it during a meeting of parliament members from Arab countries scheduled for March in Irbil, the capital of the Kurdish region. "The majority of Shiites and Kurds refused the former flag because under this flag, Saddam Hussein killed members of every single family among them," Mr Barwari said. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Army sergeant earns Bronze Star Jan 22, 2008
Marbut faced a unique challenge in providing ODA 121 with an accurate intelligence picture of Al Qeada and anti-Iraqi forces in the area of operations, the Army says, as well as the presence of Iranian infiltration and clandestine activity in Irbil, Iraq. Marbut, the Army says, was directly responsible for ODA 121 s ability to find, fix and detain 15 high-value individuals operating in the area. (Missoulian, MT)
Rice praises Iraq progress Jan 15, 2008
A woman grieves over the coffin of a victim of the Anfal Campaign during a burial service in Irbil, 350 kilometers (217 miles) north of Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Jan. 14, 2007. The bodies of 365 victims of Operation Anfal, the 1980's crackdown that killed nearly 200,000 Kurdish civilians and guerrillas, were buried Monday in Irbil, after being excavated from mass graves around the country ... Members of the Iraqi Kurdish security forces carry the coffins of victims of the Anfal Campaign during a... (Fresno Bee -- Local)
Iraq's Sunnis reclaim lost ground Jan 15, 2008
Barzani visited him in Baghdad to demand more action on the issue of Kirkuk, but returned to Irbil empty handed. Commenting on the failed meeting, he said; "Sadly, the Kurdish delegation returned without achieving any results.". (Asia Times Online)
Kirkuk referendum needed, Kurdish leader says Jan 15, 2008
"There is no turning back," Barzani said in Irbil. "The referendum must be conducted in the next six months.". (Los Angeles Times)
Beneath the facadeCorruption widens the gap between rich and poor in Iraqi Kurdistan Jan 11, 2008
Flying into the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, Irbil and its glitteringly new international airport, it is difficult to believe you are entering Iraq ... Irbil looks like a boom town ... "I see some of the officials who, 20 years ago, were with us in the mountains," said Ari Harsin, another former peshmerga, who is now the Irbil bureau editor of the independent Awene newspaper. (BBC News -- Africa)
S Korea extends Iraq deployment Dec 28, 2007
South Korea first sent troops to Iraq in 2003, to do reconstruction work in the northern town of Irbil. Since then troop levels have been cut from 3,600, amid mounting public opposition in South Korea to the presence of their troops in Iraq. (BBC News -- Asia-Pacific)
Kurds approve delay of vote on Kirkuk's fate Dec 27, 2007
Sardar Harki, a member of parliament in Irbil, the Kurdistan capital, said the Iraqi government as well as Kurdistan leaders "should exert more efforts . . . to get this issue over and done with.". A parliament member who opposed the delay, Ghafour Makhmouri, said he does not trust the Iraqi government to organize the referendum "in six months, nor in the future.". (Boston Globe)
Cautious but hopeful Dec 27, 2007
Kirkuk is an especially coveted city for both the Shiite-dominated Iraqi government in Baghdad and the Kurdish one in Irbil, largely because of much of Iraq's oil wealth lies below it. Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. (USA Today)
Iraqi Kurds delay Kirkuk vote Dec 27, 2007
Sardar Harki, a member of parliament in Irbil, the Kurdistan capital, said the Iraqi government as well as Kurdistan leaders "should exert more efforts . . . to get this issue over and done with." ... Nawzad Hadi Mawlood, the governor of northern Iraq's Irbil province, which is in the Kurdistan region, said four civilians had been killed in the earlier raids. (Los Angeles Times)
Baghdad Churches Packed For Christmas Dec 26, 2007
But in Irbil, a city in northern Iraq's much safer Kurdish autonomous region, thousands packed the Mar Yusef church at night, with people overflowing outside into the freezing mountain air. MMVII, CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved. (CBS News)
Iraqi Christians pack churches for Mass Dec 26, 2007
In northern Iraq's much safer Kurdish autonomous region, worshipers headed to the town of Ain Kawa, near Irbil. Some 1,600 Arab Christian families from Baghdad and nearby regions have settled there, said the local mayor, Fahmi Sulafa. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
* Turkish jets bomb more targets in Iraq Dec 25, 2007
Jabar Yawar said the jets bombed an area about 85km north of Irbil near the border with Turkey on Sunday for about an hour-and-a-half. He said there were no civilian casualties because the area was deserted because of a fear of Turkish attacks. (Taipei Times, Taiwan)
Turkey continues raids into Iraq Dec 24, 2007
An Iraqi Kurdish official said there were no casualties in Sunday afternoon's air raid, which targeted a mountainous area north of Irbil and lasted for more than three hours. The Turkish military did not confirm the attack, but had said on Saturday that it planned to continue its operations against separatist Kurdistan Workers' party (PKK) fighters which have bases across the border in Iraq. (Aljazeera.Net)
News in brief Dec 24, 2007
The jets bombed an area about 50 miles north of Irbil near the border with Turkey for about an hour and a half. The spokesman said there were no civilian casualties, but did not know whether any Kurdish rebels had been killed. (Guardian Unlimited -- World)
Turkish jets continue assault on Kurdish rebels Dec 24, 2007
Jabbar Yawar said three planes bombed positions in a mountainous area north of Irbil for about an hour. There were no civilian casualties, since civilians had abandoned the area due to fear of Turkish attacks, Yawar said, adding that he did not know whether any Kurdish rebels were killed. (CNN -- World)
Turkish Warplanes Bomb Kurdish Positions Dec 24, 2007
The spokesman, Jabar Yawar, said the jets bombed an area about 50 miles north of Irbil near the border with Turkey for about an hour and a half. He said there were no civilian casualties because the area was deserted due to a fear of Turkish attacks. (CBS News)
Iranian in U.S. custody in Iraq released Dec 20, 2007
Detentions of Iranians in Iraq by the U.S. remains a sensitive issue after the brief August detention by U.S. troops of eight Iranian nationals in a central Baghdad hotel and the January arrest of five Iranians during a U.S. raid in the northern city of Irbil. Two of those taken in the January raid were released in November along with seven other Iranian detainees. (MSNBC -- International)
Brothers in arms?The other Kurdish rebels in Iraq, fighting not Turkey but Iran Dec 20, 2007
Back in Irbil, I repeated the commander's denial to Ahmed Chawsheen, a university academic who is a former peshmerga and keeps a close eye on the movement. "We got help from many a quarter but always denied it," he said. (BBC News -- Africa)
Turkish troops conduct limited incursion into northern Iraq Dec 19, 2007
Jabar Yawar, a spokesman for Kurdistan's Peshmerga security forces in Irbil, Iraq, told the AP that "today's Turkish military operation was a limited one, and the troops withdrew from Iraqi territory." ... In Tuesday's ground raid, Yawar said the Turkish forces crossed into an area near the border with Iran, about 75 miles north of the city of Irbil ... Kirkuk is an especially coveted city for both the Shiite-dominated Iraqi government in Baghdad and the Kurdish one in Irbil. (North County Times)
All Iraqi groups blame U.S. for discord Dec 19, 2007
Participants, in separate groups of men and women, were interviewed in Ramadi, Najaf, Irbil, Abu Ghraib and in Sunni and Shiite neighborhoods in Baghdad. The report does not mention how the participants were selected. (MSNBC -- International)
Turkish military claims PKK losses Dec 19, 2007
The U.N. refugee agency expressed concern over those displaced by the bombardment, citing witness accounts that 10 villages had been affected in Sulaimaniya and Irbil provinces, and that bridges, a local school and livestock were destroyed. The Turkish military said the airstrikes were "planned very sensitively and executed carefully," attributing reports of civilian casualties to "panic.". (CNN -- World)
Turkish soldiers cross border into northern Iraq Dec 19, 2007
The troops crossed into an area near the border with Iran, about 120 kilometres north of the city of Irbil, said Jabar Yawar, a spokesman for Kurdistan's Peshmerga security forces ... Kirkuk is an especially coveted city for both the Shiite-dominated Iraqi government in Baghdad and the Kurdish one in Irbil. (Globe and Mail -- International)
* The crumbling rights of Iraqi women Dec 18, 2007
In Irbil, the emergency management center had reported 576 burns cases since 2003 that resulted in 358 deaths ... A UN human rights officer has relayed to me the words of one judicial investigator in Irbil: "The woman is unhappy, or there is domestic abuse, but the family doesn't listen. So she does it because she wants to draw attention to herself." ... Three days later, I was printing out the first local reports of the massacre at a ramshackle business center in Irbil when the manager... (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Women in Iraq Dec 13, 2007
In Irbil, the emergency management centre had reported 576 burns cases since 2003, resulting in 358 deaths ... A UN human rights officer has relayed to me the words of one judicial investigator in Irbil: "The woman is unhappy, or there is domestic abuse, but the family doesn't listen. So she does it because she wants to draw attention to herself." ... Three days later, I was printing out the first local reports of the massacre at a ramshackle business centre in Irbil when the manager approached... (Guardian Unlimited)
Baghdad Christians pack church for Sunday Mass by Iraq's first cardinal Dec 10, 2007
Delly presided over other services this week in Baghdad and the northern Kurdish city of Irbil, spreading his message of unity and forgiveness among Iraq's Christians. "We are of one family, everyone should work for the progress of this country," he said during his sermon. (North County Times)
Agency: 25,000 return to Iraq from Syria Dec 5, 2007
The hajj flights have been a priority for Mosul authorities since last year when 750 pilgrims from the area were stranded at the nearest international airport in Irbil, part of the autonomous Kurdish region just north of Mosul, and missed the annual journey altogether. Hajj flights are chartered and paid for by the government, and the faithful win participation through a lottery. (MSNBC -- International)
Leave Iraq, kidnappers tell Britain Dec 5, 2007
Damien McElroy in Irbil, IraqDecember 6, 2007. KIDNAPPERS holding five Britons in Iraq have threatened to kill one of them unless British troops leave the country. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
