Security

Akkas gas field falters despite increasing power needs

Even as wartime supply disruptions push Iraq toward a summertime electricity crisis, the Akkas gas field is producing at a fraction of its potential.

Representatives of the Iraqi Oil Ministry and the U.S. company SLB gather in Baghdad on July 22, 2025, for the signing of a contract for the development of the Akkas gas field. (Photo credit: Oil Ministry)

Sep 5, 2020

Security operation kicks off in Iraq’s oil hub

Iraqi security forces are beginning a multi-day operation targeting a recent tide of violence in Basra province.

Aug 12, 2020

Iraq’s failing F-16 program highlights corruption at Balad Airbase

Once a proud symbol of military partnership with the U.S., Iraq's F-16 fleet can no longer fly combat missions.

Jul 31, 2020

New frontline medical workers want to be paid to fight COVID-19

The financial crisis continues to compound the pandemic as Iraq faces a shortage of oxygen, supplies, and health care professionals.

Jul 28, 2020

Kadhimi aims to reign in border corruption

New federal forces have deployed in a campaign to wrest control of border crossings from parties, paramilitary groups, and mafias.

Jul 17, 2020

Iraq draws electricity from oil projects to help failing power grid

The government is seeking stopgap solutions to major blackouts that have sparked protests in southern Iraq.

Jul 8, 2020

Protest disrupts Halfaya operations and local power supply

Financial constraints and OPEC cuts led to oil sector layoffs and protests that briefly shut down access to Missan province's largest field.

Jul 2, 2020

Tribal conflicts escalate in Iraq’s oil heartland

Local authorities are preoccupied with the pandemic and hampered by tangled power structures, prompting the prime minister to pursue a new security strategy.

Jun 19, 2020

Spiking pandemic hits Iraqi oil sector and security forces

Seeking to combat an exponential rise in confirmed COVID-19 cases, government measures are also disrupting oil and security operations.

Jun 17, 2020

Q&A: Dr. Adham Rashad Ismail, WHO head of mission in Iraq

The World Health Organization is still guardedly optimistic Iraq can avoid a coronavirus catastrophe, despite Iraq's poor mask compliance and perhaps premature end to its lockdown.

Jun 16, 2020

Kirkuk oil guards suffer payment delays as security risks grow

One of Iraq's most effective ways of securing oil infrastructure has been to enlist locals as guards, but now cash flows are drying up just as an insurgency intensifies.