Iraq

14 Dec 2020; MEMO: Iraq's foreign exchange reserves decreased 12.5 per cent during the first quarter of 2020 to 68.5 trillion dinars ($57.5 billion) down from 78.25 trillion dinars ($65.75 billion) in the last quarter of 2019, the Iraqi Central Organisation for Statistics (COS) said.

COS added in a statement that the country's internal public debt has increased from 38.33 trillion dinars ($32.21 billion) in Q4 of 2019 to 43.45 trillion dinars ($36.51 billion) in Q1 2020.

11 Dec 2020; MEMO:  The Iraqi parliament has approved a legal amendment to the law on foreigners giving Palestinians who have resided in Iraq for a minimum of ten years the same rights as Iraqi nationals, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

Under the new amendments, the news agency disclosed that Palestinians who have lived in Iraq for at least ten years would enjoy the same rights as Iraqis, with the exception of citizenship, running for public office and voting.

09 Dec 2020; MEMO:  The Kurdistan Regional Government's Minister of Finance Awat Sheikh Janab yesterday announced that the government will abide by the fiscal deficit bill obliging Erbil to hand unspecified amounts of oil to the federal government in Baghdad in return for federal revenues, Anadolu news agency reported.

09 Dec 2020; MEMO:  Iraqi President Barham Salih yesterday called on the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of northern Iraq to listen to protesters' legitimate demands and refrain from resorting to violence, the Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported.

MOSUL, Iraq (AP) — Anan Yasoun rebuilt her home with yellow cement slabs amid the rubble of Mosul, a brightly colored manifestation of resilience in a city that for many remains synonymous with the Islamic State group’s reign of terror.

BAGHDAD, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S.-led coalition aircraft carried out airstrikes on hideouts of the extremist Islamic State (IS) militant group in Salahudin province in the north of Baghdad, leaving five IS militants killed, the Iraqi military said on Sunday.

Based on a request by the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC), the international aircraft bombarded an orchard near the town of Yathrib, some 80 km north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, destroying the hideouts and killing the five militants, the JOC media office said in a statement.

BAGHDAD, Dec 1 (NNN-NINA) – A commando force of the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), conducted an operation against militants of the extremist Daesh group, in the southern part of the northern province of Nineveh, leaving six militants killed, the CTS said.

The CTS commandos, backed by U.S.-led international coalition aircraft, attacked a cave used by the militants in Makhmour Mountain, in the south of Nineveh’s provincial city of Mosul, some 400 km north of Baghdad, The CTS said, in a statement.

BAGHDAD (AP) — Supporters of a firebrand Iraqi cleric shot dead five people on Saturday, according to medical officials, in overnight clashes with anti-government protesters in southern Iraq.

The anti-government demonstrators attempted to bloc the path of a rally supporting Shiite Muslim leader Moqtada al-Sadr. Followers of the populist cleric also wounded 40 others in the clashes, according to two medical officials.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

27 Nov 2020; MEMO: A store selling alcoholic beverages in the centre of the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad was attacked yesterday.

"A home-made audio device that was placed near a store selling alcoholic drinks within the swimming pool intersection in Karrada, exploded earlier today," a security source told Alsumaria, adding that there were no injuries reported.

27 Nov 2020; MEMO: The Iraqi military is training a former member of an Iran-backed militia, who is under US sanctions for killing protesters, to become a high-ranking officer in the army, according to six government, security and militia officials, Reuters reports.

They said that Hussein Falih Aziz, known as Abu Zainab al-Lami, had been sent to Egypt with Iraqi officers for a year-long training normally reserved for the country's military personnel.