Zaia Jendo singing in iraq Kirkuk 2372010 – Video
Zaia Jendo singing in iraq Kirkuk 2372010
By: Mira Acheson
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Zaia Jendo singing in iraq Kirkuk 2372010 - Video
Archive for the ‘Iraq’ Category
Fighting in Anbar takes toll on Iraq's economy
By Sinan Salaheddin and Sameer N. Yacoub The Associated Press
A gunman holds his weapon in Fallujah, Iraq, 40 miles west of Baghdad, in January. Militants, many from the al-Qaeda-breakaway group Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, have overrun Fallujah and parts of Ramadi. (Associated Press file)
BAGHDAD Fighting in Iraq's western Anbar province, now in its fifth month, appears to have bogged down, with government forces unable to drive out Islamic militants who took over one of the area's main cities.
The repercussions are rippling through the country's economy.
The large, desert province is a major crossroads. The main highways linking Baghdad and other parts of Iraq to Syria and Jordan run through it. Fighting has not only dislodged 75,000 people from their homes and forced shutdowns of their businesses. It has disrupted shipping, inflating prices of goods in Baghdad and elsewhere. Fears of the road have gotten so bad that Iraq has had to stop shipments of oil to Jordan.
Shoppers buy vegetables in Jamila market Friday in Baghdad. Fighting in Iraq's western Anbar province has raised prices of goods in Baghdad. (Karim Kadim, The Associated Press)
Anwar Salah, co-owner of al-Baqiee travel agency in Baghdad, said his company used to run more than 13 trips a day by SUVs shuttling passengers between Baghdad and the Jordanian capital, Amman.
Now people avoid the highway, which runs near the flashpoint Anbar cities of Fallujah and Anbar. So his firm is down to one trip every other day, and profits have plunged by 90 percent, he said.
"Most of the drivers who used to work for me are now either jobless or working in other professions," he said. "We are part of the country's miserable situation."
Militants, many from the al-Qaeda-breakaway group Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, overran Fallujah and parts of Anbar's capital, Ramadi, at the beginning of the year, taking advantage of tensions between the Sunni community, which dominates Anbar, and the Shiite-led central government.
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Fighting in Anbar takes toll on Iraq's economy
Iraq forces launch assault near Fallujah, 11 killed
A tribal leader says shelling and clashes began in and around Fallujah about 3am (0000 GMT) on Friday, May 9, and continued for hours
BAGHDAD, Iraq Iraqi forces launched an operation Friday, May 9, to retake areas near the militant-held city of Fallujah in preparation for an eventual assault, a senior officer said, as violence killed 11 people.
Anti-government fighters have held Fallujah, just a short drive from Baghdad, and shifting parts of Anbar provincial capital Ramadi, farther west, since early January.
"A military operation was launched... to eliminate the ISIL organisation and liberate Fallujah," a senior army officer said, referring to powerful jihadist group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
"The operation will continue until an assault on Fallujah," the officer said.
But such an assault is unlikely to occur soon, as security forces have struggled all year to retake territory in Anbar from militants.
And they would face major challenges in actually assaulting Fallujah, an operation that would likely cause massive damage to the city and carry significant risks of civilian casualties.
Shelling and clashes began in and around Fallujah about 3am (0000 GMT) on Friday and continued for hours, a tribal leader said.
Eight people were killed and 9 wounded, according to Dr Ahmed Shami of Fallujah's main hospital
Among the dead were two children, while another two children were wounded, he said.
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Iraq forces launch assault near Fallujah, 11 killed