Niqash: briefings from inside and across Iraq 
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kurdish plan ignored as crisis continues
The Kurdistan Blocs Coalition (KBC) ’s Negotiation Paper was submitted three weeks ago in an attempt to resolve ‘the current crisis of government formation’ and to set-out the Kurdish negotiating position. The 19-paragraph document contains a... more
iraq's soldiers not ready to take over security
Controversy erupted between government and military officials last week after a statement made by the Army Chief, Babaker Zebari, to the British Daily Telegraph Newspaper in which he admitted for the first time the weaknesses of the Iraqi... more
tracking down the dead in basra
The Families of victims of the bombings that swept Basra are still searching for their missing members.
The busy al-Ashar area, with shops, pharmacies, offices and clinics was rocked by the explosion of two car bombs at 7pm on 7 August – rush... more
called to account
Restlessness and discontent with the delay in forming the new Iraqi government has prompted four of Iraq’s most prominent NGOs to file a lawsuit with the Federal Supreme Court, the highest judicial body in the country, accusing parliament’s... more
al-maliki to bring washington and tehran closer
Iraqis have no idea when both the US and Iran have agreed to throw their combined support behind Nouri al-Maliki’s candidacy for Prime Minister . The leader of the State of Law coalition has never been a ‘key ally’ to Tehran or Washington. In... more
al-qaeda maintains its foothold
Jassim Hamdan Nada, an Iraqi soldier, was 20 years old when he died at 1pm on Thursday 29 July. He and his colleagues at a checkpoint at the eastern entrance of al-Athamiyah were killed by Isalmist insurgents who attacked them with silenced... more
transport minister's sacking leads to questions
The sacking by Nouri al-Maliki, of his Transport Minister, Amer Abdul-Jabbar, whom he accuses of ‘bad management’, has caused many to question the decision.
Outside of Maliki’s party, rumours abound that certain ‘financial deals’... more
suspicion in the borderlands
As US troops prepare to withdraw from Iraq, political analysts and security experts fear the prospect of an Iranian invasion of Iraq’s oilfields East of Basra. Recent Iranian military manoeuvres in border areas have increased as the delay in... more
confusion at camp cropper
The handover of Camp Cropper, the American prison near Baghdad Airport, went ahead on 15 July, with 1,500 prisoners transferred to Iraqi custody.
The handover remains incomplete and confused, however, with US forces retaining control of a... more
barham saleh: kirkuk is a kurdish city, talabani our only candidate
In a special interview with Niqash, Barham Saleh, Prime Minister in the Kurdistan Region's Government talks over Iraqi-Kurdish relations and outlines what conflicts the Baghdad and Erbil governments urgently need to resolve. One of those remains... more
optimism leaves with biden
Initial optimism over the US Vice President Joe Biden’s recent visit to Iraq has disappeared and Iraqi politicians look on the trip largely as a failure. With the start of the American withdrawal looming large, they wanted to see a real solution... more
division in basra provincial council
Basra has just emerged from its ‘electricity uprising’, which claimed two lives and saw dozens of injuries. Confrontation has now moved into the provincial council, with some members demanding the resignation of the governor, Shiltagh Abboud... more
unwelcome guests
Ziad al-Sangaree, the director of the al-Rasheed Satellite Channel in Ninewa, was lucky to escape from two angry police officers who he claims attacked him outside his home.
Recalling the events of the 4th of July, al-Sangaree said that a few... more
odierno backs un force
Kurdish officials convey different points of views regarding Gen. Ray Odierno’s suggestion that UN peacekeeping forces may be needed in the areas disputed between Kurds and Arabs when US forces leave Iraq.
Odierno, the commander of American... more
controversy over biden's plan
Just hours after the arrival of the US Vice President Joseph Biden in Baghdad, political alliances in Iraq have sharply changed.
On the surface, a new formula, intended to put an end to the governmental crisis, has emerged. It is based on the... more
confrontations in anbar
Iraqi law is not implemented properly in Anbar Province because local tribal leaders in the region intervene, using their wasta (influence) to achieve individual gains for themselves and their families.
Recently, local authorities in Anbar were... more
government boycotts independent media
Anger among journalists in Kurdistan has once again bubbled to the surface. Independent and opposition journalists believe the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has “ignored and boycotted” them.
No independent or opposition journalists... more
electrical storm
As soon as word spread that the violent dispute over Iraq’s electricity crisis was over, rumours circulated that the three main Shia parties in southern Iraq had met and colluded to ensure no further violence from their supporters.
The truce... more
latest comment
Dr.Ranj Aqrawy: "First of all my regard to every body..."