Latest news with #Sulaimani-based
Rudaw Net
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Sulaimani security forces arrest three ISIS suspects
Also in Kurdistan $73 million in development projects approved for Halabja province Kurdistan people's livelihood not a tool for political leverage: KDP leader Rwanga plants 20,000 olive saplings in Erbil President Barzani says Erbil wants stronger ties with Japan A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Three suspected members of the Islamic State (ISIS) were arrested by Kurdish security forces (Asayish) in separate operations in Sulaimani province, the Asayish said on Friday. 'In three separate operations and in coordination with the Iraqi national security forces, three wanted terrorists were arrested in the areas of Sulaimani, Chamchamal, and Sharazur,' Colonel Salam Abdulkhaliq, head of the Sulaimani-based Asayish media team, told Rudaw. All three suspects 'were active members of the ISIS organization,' Abdulkhaliq said. ISIS seized control of swathes of Iraqi land in 2014. The group was declared territorially defeated in 2017 but it continues to carry out bombings, hit-and-run attacks, and abductions. The militants have taken shelter in an area of land stretching across the provinces of Salahaddin, Diyala, Kirkuk, and Nineveh where there is a security vacuum because it is disputed between Baghdad and Erbil. Kurdish and Iraqi security forces frequently cooperate and carry out joint operations against ISIS cells in the Kurdistan Region. Thousands of people have been detained across Iraq since 2014 for suspected links to extremist groups, including ISIS, and hundreds have been executed. Malik Mohammed contributed to this report.
Rudaw Net
18-05-2025
- Business
- Rudaw Net
PM Barzani arrives in Washington for energy talks
Also in Kurdistan Kurdistan Region governors to visit Sanandaj for economy talks Duhok mother dies after alleged blood transfusion error Solar power on the rise in Sulaimani with private users, new plant Stone Age footprints discovered in Soran A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani arrived in Washington on Saturday for discussions on energy cooperation and regional developments, according to a Kurdistan Regional Government statement. 'The Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Masrour Barzani, arrived in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, leading a high-level government delegation on an official visit,' read the statement. Barzani will meet with American government officials, members of Congress, business leaders, and religious freedom advocates. 'The discussions will focus on strengthening and expanding the strategic partnership between the Kurdistan Region and the United States. Key topics will include bilateral cooperation, investment, recent political and security developments in Iraq, and broader regional dynamics in the Middle East,' the KRG statement added. Barzani will also attend an energy forum to present the Kurdistan Region's energy strategy and promote investment opportunities for US companies. In late April, a $100 million deal was signed between US energy giant General Electric and Sulaimani-based Taurus Arm to develop the Bazyan power plant. Following the deal, US Consul General to Erbil Steve Bitner expressed his desire to see more partnerships between American, Iraqi, and Kurdish companies. Washington has been pushing Erbil and Baghdad to finalize an agreement to restart Kurdish oil exports that have been stalled for two years.
Rudaw Net
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Over 1,000 arrested on drug charges in Kurdistan this year: Officials
Also in Kurdistan First cancer hospital opens in Duhok Duhok authorities hopeful PKK's dissolution will revive tourism Kurdish leaders, politicians welcome PKK's decision to disband Northeast of Erbil, locals celebrate town, heritage at annual festival A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - At least 1,000 people have been arrested across the Kurdistan Region on drug-related charges since the beginning of the year, security officials said on Sunday, averaging eight arrests a day as the Region continues fighting the rising use of drugs. Drug trafficking and use have been on the rise in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq since the fall of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003, with officials frequently warning of the spread of drugs in the Region. 'In the first four months of this year in Erbil and Duhok provinces, 612 people have been arrested on drug charges, 283 users and 329 traffickers,' Arkan Bibani, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Region's anti-narcotics directorate, told Rudaw. Salam Abdulkhaliq, head of the Sulaimani-based security forces (Asayish) media team, told Rudaw that in Sulaimani and Halabja provinces, as well as the Raparin and Garmiyan administrations, '388 suspects have been arrested for drug trafficking and use in the first four months of this year - 173 users and the rest were traffickers.' At least 550 kilograms of narcotic pills, 70 kilograms of Captagon, and 8,300 blister packs and individual pills have also been seized, according to combined statistics from the officials. The Kurdistan Region and Iraq, especially along their borders with Iran, Turkey, and Syria, are major transit routes for illicit drugs into Europe. In October 2023, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said that the Kurdistan Region is intensifying its efforts to combat the threat of drugs, calling on Kurdish and international communities to cooperate with Erbil to eliminate what he described as an 'endemic' problem. One-fifth of the Kurdistan Region's prisoners are behind bars on drug-related charges, according to data obtained by Rudaw from government sources. In July, a research study published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Office reported that Iraq - including the Kurdistan Region - has recorded a 'sharp increase in the trafficking and use of Captagon over the past five years.'
Rudaw Net
28-04-2025
- Business
- Rudaw Net
US energy giant inks $100 million deal for Sulaimani plant
Also in Kurdistan KDP, PUK yet to reach agreement on government positions: Sources Kurdish artist proud as President Barzani gifts his painting to Jordan's King Drone attack injures three Peshmerga in Duhok province: Sources Initiative to digitize Peshmerga health data launched in Erbil A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A major $100 million deal was signed on Sunday between US energy giant General Electric (GE) and Sulaimani-based Taurus Arm to develop the Bazyan power plant. 'A major agreement signed today between Taurus Energy and General Electric—proof that Kurdistan is open for business with the world's biggest companies. Proud to see global giants partnering with local firms to drive development. Slemani continues to lead Iraq in investment,' Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani wrote on X. Speaking at the contract signing ceremony, Talabani said that the Kurdistan Region has plans to become a major regional exporter of electricity. The Bazyan power plant, a 500-megawatt facility in Sulaimani operated by Taurus Arm, supplies electricity to over 1.5 million homes in Iraq, including in regions such as Mosul, Kirkuk, and Salahaddin. Rasheed al-Janabi, GE Vernova-Iraq president, explained that new technology will be used at the plant to increase reliability and efficiency significantly, decrease costs, and reduce operational risks. Using the technology, the plant aims to increase its production to approximately 1,500 megawatts, using the same amount of gas, according to Janabi. Saad Tayeb Hassan, CEO of Taurus Energy, said that 'GE will implement all repairs, new technologies, and any global innovations' as part of the agreement, noting that the deal will allow for 'more electricity production with less fuel, which will reduce the cost of electricity for the Kurdistan Regional Government.' In 2022, GE Gas Power signed a 16-year agreement with Taurus Energy to provide parts, repairs, and services for two turbines at the Bazyan power plant. At the ceremony, US Consul General Steve Bitner expressed his desire to see more partnerships between American, Iraqi, and Kurdish companies. Unreliable electricity is a frequent headache in the Kurdistan Region. High demand, financial problems, and a shortage of fuel supplies mean power stations in the Kurdistan Region cannot always operate at full capacity, and the electricity ministry has been incapable of providing round-the-clock power. When the national supply cuts out, people rely on private diesel-fueled generators that are costly and polluting.
Rudaw Net
25-02-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Protest turns violent on Sulaimani-Arbat road over unpaid salaries
Also in Kurdistan Barzani reaffirms Kurdistan Region's culture of tolerance in dialogue with Iraqi diaspora President Barzani receives UK Ambassador for farewell visit PUK leader Talabani optimistic about KRG formation talks despite challenges Public sector workers block oil trucks in protest over unpaid salaries A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Clashes broke out between truck drivers and protesters along the Sulaimani-Arbat road on Monday, after demonstrators blocked oil tankers in a bid to pressure Erbil and Baghdad to address the ongoing crisis of unpaid civil servant salaries. Since Sunday, a group of teachers and public sector employees had been blocking the passage of oil trucks through the key route but allowed other vehicles through. However, tensions escalated on Monday when demonstrators and truck drivers clashed, leading to multiple injuries and prompting Kurdish security forces to step in. One of the protesting civil servants, Adil Hassan, told Rudaw on Tuesday that he 'and several journalists were arrested' and 'later released on bail,' with some being 'released at 4:00 am' local time. The previous day, a Sulaimani-based media watchdog, the Metro Center for Journalists Rights and Advocacy, censured 'the attack on teachers' in Arbat as well as 'the assault on journalists and the destruction of their equipment.' The center criticized these actions as revealing 'the authorities' real policy toward peaceful civil struggle.' For their part, the Kurdistan Region's security forces (Asayish) issued a statement on Tuesday, confirming that they had taken 'several legal measures to control the undesirable situation' and deployed their forces 'to ease tensions between the civil servants and truck drivers.' Although arrests had been made the previous day, the Asayish noted that all the detainees had been released and injured civilians had been treated and released from hospitals. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has struggled with delays in paying civil servant salaries for nearly a decade, due to financial difficulties worsened by the suspension of its oil exports in March 2023. The suspension followed a court ruling in a dispute between Iraq and Turkey over the Kurdistan Region's independent oil sales. The KRG also depends on its share of the federal budget to pay salaries, but the transfer of funds from Baghdad has been inconsistent, with both sides blaming each other for the delays. Iraq's oil minister confirmed on Monday that the Iraq-Turkey pipeline is ready to resume oil exports from the Kurdistan Region through Turkey's Ceyhan port. Hayyan Abdul Ghani hoped exports will restart within two days after resolving technical issues. Observers in the Kurdistan Region are hopeful that the resumption of oil exports will help alleviate the financial difficulties and resolve the ongoing crisis of unpaid civil servant salaries.
