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Revealed: How KRG Oil Is Sold — and Who Profits
In the Kurdistan Region, international oil companies (IOCs) are producing an estimated 280,000 to 300,000 barrels of crude oil per day. But where that oil ends up—and who profits from…
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Arivan
PKK Holds Disarmament Congress, but a Long Process Lies Ahead as Group Signals Shift to Political Struggle
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has led the longest ongoing armed insurgency in recent history, has held an extraordinary congress to initiate its dissolution and begin the process of…
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Arivan
Al-Sudani Meets Erdogan in Ankara as Regional Shifts Intensify
Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani has arrived in Ankara, where he is holding talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Context: The visit is centered around co-chairing the Iraq–Turkey…
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Arivan
Explainer: Why is Ahmed Shar’a’s Attendance at the 2025 Arab Summit Dividing Iraq?
In 2011, Ahmed Shar’a, then a recently released al-Qaeda prisoner, left Iraq for Syria, which had just entered the early stages of the Arab Spring. Now, in May 2025, he…
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Arivan
KRG Oil Audit for Q2 2024 Reveals Deepening Fiscal Crisis: $50M Deficit, $9.25B in Debt
According to a new joint financial oversight report by Iraq and the KRG for the second quarter of 2024, companies operating in the KRG’s oilfields produced a total of 27,694,529…
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Arivan
Is a Cash Crisis Already Emerging in Iraq?
After months of relatively stable salary transfers from the Iraqi Finance Ministry to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), delays have resurfaced this month. Some Iraqi institutions have also not received…
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Arivan
The SDF Extends Its Call for Decentralization Through a Conference for Arab Tribes in Northeast Syria
The Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), the political wing of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), is preparing to organise a conference for Arab tribes in northeast Syria to promote its decentralization…
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Arivan
U.S. Reportedly Bombs Own Base in Eastern Syria as Withdrawal Concludes, Marking Full Shutdown
The U.S.-led coalition has carried out a major phase of its long-anticipated drawdown in eastern Syria, withdrawing from three key military installations over the past week. The pullback—previously signaled but…
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Arivan
The Iran Angle in the PKK–Turkey Peace Talks
As talks over the dissolution and disarmament of the PKK gain traction, one critical question remains conspicuously unaddressed: what about PJAK? While Turkey has been vocal about other PKK-affiliated offshoots,…
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Arivan
Iraq Expands Restrictions on Iranian Kurdish Factions as Relocation Deadline Nears
The deadline for the relocation of Iranian Kurdish armed opposition groups based near Sulaimani is set to expire on May 10. Under the terms of a UN-supervised process, these groups…
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