DefenceTalkA UN commission set up to obtain reparations from Iraq over the country’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait submitted its final report in Geneva on Wednesday after paying out $52.4 billion to the small Gulf state. Set up in 1991 by UN Security Council Resolution 692 to manage financial compensation owed by Iraq to Kuwait, the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/un-panel-wraps-up-after-iraq-pays-52-4-bn-for-kuwait-invasion-77895/

DefenceTalkIn the northern Iraqi hamlet of Hassan-Jalad, almost every family has a story to tell about a time when a child, nephew or brother was lost to wartime munitions. Located near Mosul, a former stronghold of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, the area is littered with unexploded ordnance, sometimes dubbed UXO. “We are afraid […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iraqi-wars-deadly-legacy-unexploded-ordnance-77564/

DefenceTalkPresident Joe Biden declared US relations with Iraq would enter a new phase with American troops exiting combat operations in the country by year-end as he held talks Monday with Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi. Amid the threat of an Islamic State resurgence and Iran’s powerful influence in Baghdad, Biden stressed that Washington remains “committed to […]

DefenceTalkEfforts to repeal a 2002 US authorization for use of military force against Iraq got a boost Monday when the White House backed the idea, saying ending the AUMF would have “minimal impact” on current operations. The development comes as the House of Representatives prepares to vote this week on bipartisan legislation that would repeal […]

DefenceTalkAn attack using an explosives-packed drone on an airport in Arbil, capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, is the latest in a series targeting Western military or diplomatic installations on Iraqi soil since late 2019, and marks an escalation of the weapons used. A US-led international coalition has been in Iraq since 2014 to help local forces […]

DefenceTalkAt least 10 rockets slammed into a military base in western Iraq hosting US-led coalition troops on Wednesday, security sources said, leaving one civilian contractor dead. The attack on the sprawling Ain al-Assad base in Iraq’s western desert comes after several weeks of escalating US-Iran tensions on Iraqi soil. It also comes just two days […]

DefenceTalkThe US-led coalition will redeploy hundreds of troops from bases in Iraq including to outside the country, coalition and US officials said Tuesday, with one calling it a “historic” move. The announcement came hours after another rocket attack targeted an Iraqi base where foreign troops are located, the 24th such attack in less than six […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-led-coalition-troops-begin-leaving-iraq-bases-74851/

An Iraqi government spokesman denied reports on Thursday that joint operations had resumed between local forces and the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State group sleeper cells. The coalition, active in Iraq since 2014, said on January 5 that it was pausing anti-IS operations and training missions due to security concerns after a series of rocket […]

DefenceTalkThe first coalition live-fire exercise for the Iraqi Forward Air Controller course took place at Besmaya Range, Iraq, March 4-8, 2018. The Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, in conjunction with the Coalition Aviation Advisory and Training Team, coordinated the exercise to certify newly trained Iraqi Forward air controllers. The exercise showcased the progress the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/coalition-live-fire-exercise-enhances-iraqi-combat-capabilities-71558/

DefenceTalkGordon Brown has claimed the UK was “misled” over Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction and the Iraq War was unjustified. The former prime minister, who was chancellor when the decision to go to war in 2003 was made, has revealed top-secret US intelligence casting serious doubt over the dictator’s destructive capabilities was not shared […]https://www.defencetalk.com/uk-misled-and-iraq-war-unjustified-says-gordon-brown-70742/