Security

Oil companies evacuate as Burjisiya drone attack highlights rising threat

Strike on a key oil logistics hub in Basra signals danger for southern Iraq's oil sector as Iran and its proxies target U.S. companies.

Emergency responders work to extinguish a fire at a chemical storage facility at the Burjisiya logistics hub in Basra on March 6, 2026.

May 30, 2016

Kurdish forces liberate nine villages and re-secure an oil rig

An oil rig, abandoned in fall 2014 as IS militants neared, has been fully secured as Kurdish and coalition forces gain ground between Erbil and Mosul.

May 26, 2016

Basra security reinforced amidst unrest near oil sites

New security leadership and armored reinforcements come to Iraq's oil capital, as protests over jobs and conflicts among tribes cause instability near major oil sites.

May 16, 2016

IS attacks gas plant near Baghdad

The latest in a string of asymmetric attacks around the capital, IS militants partially destroyed a propane filling station in Taji before Energy Police regained control.

May 4, 2016

Saboteurs bomb Khabbaz oil field again

At least two wells are burning and production has stopped at an oil field in Kirkuk after saboteurs exploited security gaps for the second time in a month.

May 1, 2016

‫Protesters demanding reform storm Green Zone

Political dysfunction reaches a breaking point, as protesters answering to Moqtada al-Sadr ransack Parliament after several parties again stonewalled Abadi's Cabinet reforms.

Apr 29, 2016

South oil workers moonlighting as weapon designers

To help militias fighting against IS, South Oil Company engineers have designed smartphone-activated rocket launchers and remote-control robots for defusing explosives.

Apr 24, 2016

Kurd-Hashid rivalries again explode into violence

In the multi-ethnic town of Tuz Khurmatu, nominal allies against IS are turning their guns on each other in another spate of deadly battles.

Apr 22, 2016

Q&A: Iraqi Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool

Iraq’s spokesman for the Joint Military Command taking on IS discusses the grueling siege of Fallujah, and the progress of operations in Anbar province.

Apr 19, 2016

Air strikes rattle IS in Mosul, with high toll on civilians

Dozens of militants are dying every week, sowing paranoia among their ranks. But as the group embeds itself deeper into the city, residents say they are also suffering – from both IS crackdowns and air strikes.

Apr 13, 2016

South oil official executed in his house

Official tasked with South Oil Company purchasing was murdered in his home, police said.