Three rockets landed near Iraq's northern Kurdish regional capital Erbil causing no casualties, the region's Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS)
Three rockets landed near Iraq’s northern Kurdish regional capital Erbil causing no casualties, the region’s Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) said in a statement…reports Asian Lite News
The rockets were fired from al-Hamdaniya, a town 60 km west of Erbil, and hit an inhabited area near an oil installation in the Khabat District of Erbil province, the Kurdish CTS statement added on Wednesday.
No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack, Xinhua news agency reported.
On March 13, the Kurdish regional government said 12 long-range ballistic missiles were fired from the east outside the Iraqi borders toward the new building of the US consulate in Erbil and the surrounding residential areas, leaving one civilian injured.
Later on Wednesday, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian Ambassador to Iraq to protest against the missile attack.
The Iraqi Parliament on Wednesday failed for the third time to elect a new President after failing to reach a quorum amid ongoing political disputes…reports Asian Lite News
At the beginning of the session, the Speaker of the Council of Representatives (Parliament) announced that the quorum set at two-thirds of the house’s 329 members had not been achieved to elect the President, Xinhua news agency reported, citinag a statement by the Parliament’s media office.
The Parliament continued its regular session and adjourned it without giving a new date, the statement said.
Earlier, the Parliament set March 30 as the date for a new session to elect the President, with some 40 candidates competing for the post.
The repeated failure to elect a new President came amid a political row among Shiite parties.
Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s Sadrist Movement has vowed to form a new national majority from the winning parties in the elections, after his followers took the lead with 73 seats out of 329-seat Parliament in the elections held on Oct. 10, 2021.
Al-Sadr’s pro-Iranian rivals and some other parties, however, want to form a consensus government to include all political blocs, as was the situation in the successive governments after 2003.
Sheikh Mohammed meets Prime Minister of Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (WAM)
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai met with Masrour Barzani, Prime Minister of the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government…reports Asian Lite News
During the meeting, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed and Prime Minister Masrour Barzani explored new avenues to strengthen bilateral relations between the UAE and Iraq, particularly the Kurdistan Region, in various fields to serve the development goals of both nations.
Sheikh Mohammed meets Prime Minister of Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (WAM)
Welcoming the Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed emphasised the strong relationship between the UAE and Iraq. The two sides also discussed a number of regional and global topics of mutual interest.
Prime Minister of Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government expressed his happiness at meeting H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and highlighted the close bilateral relations between the UAE and the Kurdistan region in Iraq. He expressed the hope that the visit will usher in a new phase of cooperation across various key sectors.
Sheikh Mohammed meets Prime Minister of Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (WAM)
The meeting was attended by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai; H.H. Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance; H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group; and Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs.
On Sunday morning, Sharjah Ruler Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi received Masrour Barzani.
Dr. Sheikh Sultan exchanged joint conversations with Barzani on various topics concerning education, culture, development, and others issues, in addition to discussing opportunities to deepen the relations and enhance cooperation between the two states.
The two sides also discussed the cultural experience of Sharjah, that spans over 40 years, and which was reflected in the level of civilisation and the high position that Sharjah assumed regionally and globally.
At the end of the meeting, His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and Barzani exchanged gifts and souvenirs.
Iraq’s Parliament postpones vote on new President to March 30
Iraq’s Parliament has decided to postpone the vote on a new President to March 30 after failing to reach a quorum due to political disputes among parliamentary political blocs, a state-run TV channel has reported…reports Asian Lite News
Iraq’s parliament held a session on Saturday afternoon with the attendance of 202 lawmakers out of the 329-seat Parliament, and the voting on a new President had to be postponed due to a lack of the required two-thirds quorum of the parliament, according to the Iraqiya channel.
After a short session, the Parliament adjourned its regular session until March 28, while the vote on a new President until March 30 to give the political blocs enough time to negotiate the differences of the political process, Xinhua news agency reported.
Earlier, the Iraqi Parliament set March 26 as the date for a new Parliament session to elect the President. Some 40 candidates, including President Barham Salih, who represents the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, and Rizgar Mohammed Amin, former chief judge of the Iraqi Special Tribunal that organised the trial of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, would compete for the post.
The postponement came amid a political row among Shiite parties. Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s Sadrist Movement has vowed to form a new national majority from the winning parties in the elections, after his followers took the lead with 73 seats out of 329-seat parliament in the elections held on October 10, 2021. Al-Sadr’s pro-Iranian rivals, however, want to form a consensus government to include all political blocs, as was the situation in the successive governments after 2003.
Under the Iraqi constitution, lawmakers should elect a new Iraqi President from the candidates by a two-thirds majority of the 329-seat Parliament, and the President is limited to serving two four-year terms.
Once elected, the new President will ask the largest parliamentary bloc to name a Prime Minister-designate to form a government within 30 days.
Iraq on Sunday condemned the latest attacks that targeted energy facilities in Saudi Arabia, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said in a statement…reports Asian Lite News
The ministry “reiterated its stance calling for the adoption of dialogue to end these actions between the parties to the conflict, as the dialogue ensures mechanisms for all parties to avoid more losses”, Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying.
Earlier in the day, Yemen’s Houthi militia claimed responsibility for its overnight attacks targeting vital energy facilities, including Aramco oil facilities, in several cities in Saudi Arabia.
Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of the northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa. The Saudi-led coalition intervened in the following year to support the Yemeni government.
Antonio voices concern over missile attack in Iraq's Erbil
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is deeply concerned about Sunday’s missile attack in Erbil in Iraq, said Farhan Haq, his deputy spokesman, on Tuesday…reports Asian Lite News
The attack came at a critical moment for Iraq’s path to peace and stability. The secretary-general renewed his call to all concerned sides to exercise restraint and avoid escalation, said the spokesman, Xinhua news agency reported.
Guterres urged Iraq’s partners to support Iraqi efforts to advance regional peace and security in accordance with the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and good neighbourly relations, said Haq.
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Sunday confirmed that it launched the attack on what it said was an Israeli intelligence base in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region. The operation was in response to an Israeli airstrike on the Syrian capital of Damascus on March 7, in which two IRGC officers were killed, the IRGC said in a statement.
Chinese companies, Power Corporation of China and Sinotech, are currently finalizing the sub-contracting to build 1000 schools in Iraq…reports Asian Lite News
China has emerged as a key financial player in Iraq amid its policy of fostering deeper economic ties with the Middle East in recent years.
Valentin Popescu, writing in a think tank, Policy Research Group (POREG) said that China is strategically leveraging Iraqi reconstruction efforts by building energy and connectivity infrastructure projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
It is also constructing schools and opening language training centres in Iraqi Universities. With the end of the US combat mission in Iraq, Beijing is pushing its energy projects with Baghdad under the BRI with overall investment to the tune of USD 10.5 billion, making Iraq the third most important partner of Chinese energy engagement.
Chinese companies, Power Corporation of China and Sinotech, are currently finalizing the sub-contracting to build 1000 schools in Iraq under the ‘oil for reconstruction’ programme signed with the Iraqi government in December 2021, reported POREG.
Beijing is also promoting the Chinese language and culture in Iraq. The Chinese Language Department in Salahaddin University, Erbil, offers language training and education to Iraqi students and also conducts events that create a positive image of China.
These efforts are apparently part of Beijing’s policy of fostering deeper economic ties with Middle East countries by taking advantage of a growing perception among Arab leaders that the US is disengaging from the region, said Popescu.
It is also attributed to Beijing’s growing appetite for Middle Eastern energy and increasing trade with the Gulf States. Iraq is already the third-biggest exporter of oil to China. Baghdad appears more than willing to receive Chinese investment to help upgrade war-ravaged and decaying infrastructure.
Beijing views Iraq as a less controversial investment destination in the region with a great deal of untapped potential and easy access. For China, the Iraqi government and people are easier to negotiate and to do business as the country is trying hard to rebuild infrastructure and push up economic growth. China also sees Iraq as a fertile base for its expansion plan in the Middle East, said Popescu. (ANI)
The UAE has strongly condemned the ballistic missile attack on Erbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan…reports Asian Lite News
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) in a statement last night expressed the UAE’s strong condemnation and denunciation of the attacks that are aimed to destabilise Iraq in violation of the principles of international law.
The Ministry affirmed the UAE’s solidarity with Iraq in all the measures it takes to ensure its security, stability and sovereignty.
The statement also affirmed the UAE’s standing with Iraq in confronting terrorism and underlined the UAE’s keenness on ensuring the security and stability of the country. (WAM)
Iraq summons Iranian envoy in protest against Erbil missile attack
The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned the Iranian Ambassador to the country to protest against Tehran’s ballistic missile attack on the semi-autonomous Kurdish region’s capital Erbil…reports Asian Lite News
The attack has “caused damage to civilian facilities and homes of citizens, in addition to spreading fear among the residents of those areas”, Xinhua news agency quoted the Ministry as saying in a statement.
The Ministry reiterated its “condemnation of the flagrant violation” of the sovereignty and territory of Iraq, stressing that such attacks will cast a shadow over the regional situation and make it more complicated.
The Kurdistan Regional Government has said 12 long-range ballistic missiles were fired at 1 a.m. on Sunday from the east outside Iraqi borders toward a new building of the US Consulate in Erbil and the surrounding residential areas, leaving one civilian injured.
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Sunday claimed the missile attack on an Israeli base in Erbil, saying the move came in response to an Israeli airstrike on Syria’s capital Damascus on March 7, in which two IRGC officers were killed.
The attack prompted the Iraqi Ministerial Council for National Security to issue a statement demanding “frank and clear explanations” from the Iranian side.
The Council, headed by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, stressed Iraq’s constant rejection of settling scores between countries and entities by violating Iraq’s sovereignty, noting its lands cannot be used to attack neighbouring countries.
As many as 12 missiles were fired Sunday toward the US consulate in Iraq’s northern city of Irbil, Iraqi security officials said. A US defense official said missiles had been launched at the city from neighboring Iran, reports Asian Lite News
Missile atacks on Iraq’s northern Kurdish regional capital of Irbil were aimed at “secret Israeli bases”, an Iranian state-TV correspondent based in Iraq said on Sunday.
A “strategic center for conspiracy and mischiefs of the Zionists was targeted by powerful precision missiles fired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.,” also said a statement on Sepah News, the Guards’ official website.
Sunday’s attack on Irbil comes nearly a week after two officers from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards were killed in Syria in a strike attributed to key US ally Israel.
The Guards had already warned on Tuesday that Israel, the Islamic republic’s arch enemy, “will pay for this crime.”
As many as 12 missiles were fired Sunday toward the US consulate in Iraq’s northern city of Irbil, Iraqi security officials said. A US defense official said missiles had been launched at the city from neighboring Iran.
Officials in Iraq and the US gave different accounts of damage. A second US official said there was no damage and no casualties at any US government facility, but Iraqi officials said several missiles had hit the US consulate. The consulate building is new and currently unoccupied.
The US defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because information was still coming in, said it was still not certain exactly how many missiles were fired and exactly where they landed.
The Iraqi security officials said there were no immediate report of casualties from the attack, which occurred shortly after midnight and caused material damage in the area. They spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
One of the Iraqi officials said the ballistic missiles were fired from Iran, without elaborating. The US officials could not confirm the type of missile.
The second US official said the incident was being investigated by the government of Iraq and the Kurdish Regional Government. The US condemned what it called an “outrageous attack against Iraqi sovereignty and display of violence,” the official said in a statement.
The attack came several days after an Israeli strike near Damascus, Syria, killed two members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. Iran’s foreign ministry strongly condemned the attack Wednesday and vowed revenge.
On Sunday, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency quoted Iraqi media acknowledging the attacks in Irbil, without saying where they originated.
Satellite broadcast channel Kurdistan24, which is located near the US consulate, went on air from their studio shortly after the attack, showing shattered glass and debris on their studio floor.
A security statement said Irbil was targeted “with a number of missiles” early Sunday, adding that security forces were investigating the incident and would release more details later.
The attack comes as negotiations in Vienna over Tehran’s tattered nuclear deal hit a “pause” over Russian demands about sanctions targeting Moscow over its war on Ukraine.
The top US commander for the Middle East has repeatedly warned about the increasing threats of attacks from Iran and Iranian-back militias on troops and allies in Iraq and Syria.
In an interview with The Associated Press In December, Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie said that while US forces in Iraq have shifted to a non-combat role, Iran and its proxies still want all American troops to leave the country. As a result, he said, that may trigger more attacks.’
The Biden administration decided last July to end the US combat mission in Iraq by Dec. 31, and US forces gradually moved to an advisory role last year. The troops will still provide air support and other military aid for Iraq’s fight against the Daesh.
The US presence in Iraq has long been a flash point for Tehran, but tensions spiked after a January 2020 US drone strike near the Baghdad airport killed a top Iranian general. In retaliation, Iran launched a barrage of missiles at Al-Asad air base, where US troops were stationed. More than 100 service members suffered traumatic brain injuries in the blasts.
More recently, Iranian proxies are believed responsible for an assassination attempt late last year on Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi.
And officials have said they believe Iran was behind the October drone attack at the military outpost in southern Syria where American troops are based. No US personnel were killed or injured in the attack.
Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi tweeted: “The aggression which targeted the dear city of Irbil and spread fear among its inhabitants is an attack on the security of our people.”
Masrour Barzani, prime minister of the semi-autonomous Kurdish-controlled region, condemned the attack. In a Facebook post, he said Irbil “will not bow to the cowards who carried out the terrorist attack.”
