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View of a damaged building in the aftermath of missile attacks in Erbil, Iraq March 13, 2022. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari

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BAGHDAD/ANKARA, March 28 (Reuters) - A nascent plan for Iraq's Kurdistan region to supply gas to Turkey and Europe - with Israeli help - is part of what angered Iran into striking the Kurdish capital Erbil with ballistic missiles this month, Iraqi and Turkish officials say.

The March 13 attack on Erbil came as a shock to officials throughout the region for its ferocity, and was a rare publicly declared assault by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). read more

The IRGC said the strike hit Israeli "strategic centres" in Erbil and was retaliation for an Israeli air raid that killed two of its members in Syria.

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The choice of target, however, baffled many officials and analysts. Most of the 12 missiles hit the villa of a Kurdish businessman involved in the autonomous Kurdistan region's energy sector.

Iraqi and Turkish officials who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity this week said they believe the attack was meant as a multi-pronged message to U.S. allies in the region - but that a key trigger was a plan to pump Kurdish gas into Turkey and Europe, with Israel's involvement. read more

"There had been two recent meetings between Israeli and U.S. energy officials and specialists at the villa to discuss shipping Kurdistan gas to Turkey via a new pipeline," an Iraqi security official said.

Iran's foreign ministry and the IRGC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A senior Iranian security official told Reuters the attack was a "multi-purposed message to many people and groups. It's up to them how to interpret it. Whatever (Israel) is planning, from energy sector to agriculture, will not materialise."

Two Turkish officials confirmed that talks involving U.S. and Israeli officials recently took place to discuss Iraq supplying Turkey and Europe with natural gas, but did not say where they took place.

The Iraqi security official and a former U.S. official with knowledge of the plans said the Kurdish businessman whose villa was hit by the Iranian missiles, Baz Karim Barzanji, was working to develop the gas export pipeline.

The disclosure puts Iran's attack on Erbil in the context of regional players' energy interests, rather than a single Israeli military attack on the IRGC, as widely reported. read more

Israel's foreign ministry said it was not familiar with the matter. Barzanji did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.

The office of Iraqi Kurdish President Nechirvan Barzani denied any meetings with U.S. and Israeli officials to discuss a pipeline took place at Barzanji's villa. The Kurds deny there is any Israeli military or official presence in their territory.

TURKEY-ISRAEL RAPPROCHEMENT

The Iraqi, Turkish and Western sources spoke mostly on condition of anonymity because they are not allowed to give statements to the media.

They said the move comes as a politically sensitive time for Iran and the region: the gas export plan could threaten Iran's place as a major supplier of gas to Iraq and Turkey while its economy is still reeling from international sanctions.

Efforts to revive a nuclear deal between Iran and the West have faltered in recent weeks, casting doubt on prospects for lifting sanctions on Tehran including on its energy sector.

It also comes as Israel, Iran's biggest enemy in the region, and Turkey are strengthening ties and looking at further energy cooperation as sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine threaten severe shortages across Europe.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said last month that Turkey and Israel can work together to carry Israeli natural gas to Europe. Erdogan also met Barzani and said that Ankara wants to sign a natural gas supply deal with Iraq. read more

Iraqi and Turkish officials did not give specific details on the plan to pump gas from Iraqi Kurdistan to Turkey, say how far along it was, or what Israel's role is in the project.

"The timing of the attack in Erbil is very interesting. It seems it was more directed at northern Iraq's energy exports and possible cooperation that would include Israel," one of the Turkish officials said.

"Some talks were held for northern Iraq natural gas exports and we know that Iraq, the United States and Israel were involved in this process. Turkey supports this too," the official added.

The Iraqi security official said at least two meetings to discuss the issue, with U.S. and Israeli energy specialists, had taken place at Barzanji's villa, which he said explained the choice of target for Iran's missile strike. No one was seriously hurt in the attack but the villa was severely damaged.

An Iraqi government official and a Western diplomat in Iraq said that Barzanji was known to host foreign officials and businessmen at his home and that they included Israelis.

The Iraqi security official and the former U.S. official said Barzanji's KAR Group company is working to expedite the gas export pipeline. The new pipeline would eventually connect to one that has already been completed on the Turkish side of the border, the former U.S. official said.

KAR Group could not be immediately reached for comment.

KAR Group built and manages the Kurdish region's domestic pipeline, the Kurdistan presidency's chief of staff Fawzi Harir said. It also owns a third of Kurdistan's oil export pipeline under a lease agreement. The rest is owned by Russia's Rosneft.

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Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed in Baghdad, Amina Ismail in Erbil, Orhan Coskun in Ankara, Rowena Edwards in London; additional reporting by Parisa Hafezi and Maha El Dahan in Dubai, Ari Rabinovitch in JerusalemAdditional reporting, writing by John Davison in Baghdad, Editing by William Maclean

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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EXCLUSIVE Iran struck Iraq target over gas talks involving Israel - officials - Reuters

Canada is extending its military mission in Iraq and the Middle East for another year.

Defence Minister Anita Anand announced the 12-month extension on Thursday evening, only hours before the current mandate was set to expire.

It comes even as Canada has steadily reduced its military footprint in the region as the focus in Iraq, in particular, has shifted from defeating the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant to countering Irans growing influence.

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The Canadian Armed Forces, which first deployed troops to Iraq in October 2014 as ISIL threatened to take over the country and neighbouring Syria, previously had a high of more than 800 soldiers in the region.

The Canadian mission at different times included fighter jets, transport and surveillance aircraft, helicopters as well as military trainers and special forces troops working alongside Kurdish and Iraqi forces as they fought ISIL.

But the mission has since shrunk in size and prominence as concerns about ISIL have been replaced with fears about Irans growing influence in Iraq and the region, and as other crises and threats such as Russia, China and the COVID-19 pandemic have emerged.

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Canada in February had only about 300 Armed Forces members assigned to what is known as Operation Impact, with about 250 intelligence, logistics and command staff in Kuwait, 50 trainers in Jordan and Lebanon, and only a handful of troops in Iraq.

The Canadian Armed Forces have been working with partners and allies since 2014 to improve Iraqi security forces capabilities, Anand said in a statement.

The Canadian Armed Forces have also been providing training and capacity-building assistance to the Jordanian Armed Forces and the Lebanese Armed Forces.

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The decision to extend Canadas military mission in Iraq comes as the Armed Forces is being asked to contribute additional troops and equipment in eastern Europe in response to Russias invasion of Ukraine, and as it struggles with personnel shortfall.

It also coincides with a political deadlock in Baghdad over repeated failures to elect a new president and escalating tensions between the United States and Iran, with the latter having launched ballistic missile attacks in the region in recent weeks.

Bessma Momani, one of Canadas top Middle East experts at the University of Waterloo, said the decision to extend the mission comes at a critical time for Iraq as the country teeters toward collapse amid a proxy war between the United States and Iran.

While Canadas contribution is largely symbolic at this point, Momani said, this is not a time to pull out. It just sends all the wrong messages. Iraqs just way too fragile to pull out at the moment.

Canadas mission has largely slipped from public view, but it has seen its share of controversies over the years. Those include questions about whether Canadian troops were in combat, and concerns about the screening of Iraq troops trained by Canada.

The Liberals were also criticized for withdrawing Canadian fighter jets after taking power in 2015, while Canadas partnership with Iraqs Kurdish minority put this country into an awkward position when faced with Kurdish calls for independence from Iraq.

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One Canadian soldier was killed while serving on Operation Impact. Sgt. Andrew Doiron died after Kurdish forces mistakenly shot the Canadian special forces member. Three other Canadians were injured in the friendly fire incident.

2022 The Canadian Press

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Canada extends military mission in Iraq for another year - Global News

Becoming a SAP Partner is a rigorous process that ensures a potential partner's ability to deliver on SAP's vision and mission. Having met all the requirements put forth by SAP, Business Line has proven its value in Iraq.

ERBIL, Iraq, April 1, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Business Line announced its partnership with the technology industry giant, SAP, and has been recognized as a reputed SAP Partner in Iraq. This is a big milestone in Business Line's journey towards growth and success. This also establishes Business Line as a trusted SAP services provider in the region.

"We are committed to excellence and facilitating growth for organizations operating in diverse industries in Iraq. We strongly believe adopting digital transformation strategies is the way forward to succeed in a highly competitive local and global market. SAP helps organizations in implementing such strategies through top-notch tools and software. Being a SAP Partner, Business Line will be able to drive digital transformation in the region and turn organizations into intelligent enterprises".

Trazia Gabbarah, Marketing Executive, Business Line Company

This partnership is the result of Business Line's contributions to the technology landscape in the region and a guarantee of its commitment to digital transformation through excellent service provision before, during, and after the sales process.

"By joining forces with SAP, we are more than ready to turn our customers' businesses into smart enterprises that stand apart".

Trazia Gabbarah, Marketing Executive, Business Line Company

Becoming a SAP Partner is a rigorous process that ensures a potential partner's ability to deliver on SAP's vision and mission. Having met all the requirements put forth by SAP, Business Line has proven its value in Iraq.

About Business Line

Business Line is a technology firm headquartered in Erbil, Iraq. Our mission is to help create smart enterprises by leveraging technology and providing unmatched technical and business advisory services. Our services range from the implementation of SAP products like SAP Business One, SAP Business ByDesign, and SAP Analytics Cloud, to providing digital marketing services to helping businesses with RPA, cloud migration, and much more.

For more information: http://www.businesslinecompany.com

Contact: sales@businesslinecompany.com

Media Contact

Trazia Gabbarah, Business Line Company, 964 (783) 445 3555, sales@businesslinecompany.com

SOURCE Business Line Company

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Business Line Company Recognized as a SAP Partner in Iraq - 69News WFMZ-TV

When most of us picture a game of bingo, we imagine a silent hall while the caller can be heard, shouting out a series of numbers while players frantically blot their card with giant marker pens, with the aim of declaring "house!" and wining a prize.

It's a hugely popular activity, with bingo halls around the country welcoming thousands of players each week. Now, while Bingo Loco loosely follows this concept - silence is most certainly out of the question, with debauchery, mayhem and music an important factor in creating a party atmosphere. And it's coming to Kanteena in Lancaster on Friday, April 8.

READ MORE: Lancaster's Farm Yard Brew Co named best craft brewery in UK

It is the brainchild of co-founders Craig Reynolds and Will Meara who were taken by the rising trend of drag and gameshow bingo, with events such as Bongo's Bingo already well established in the UK. The duo, who were later joined in running the business by friend Stephen Lawless, were inspired to set up their own version by the unlikeliest of sources.

In 2016, Will and Craig were backpacking in Northern Iraq and they stumbled across a mess hall of Peshmerga soldiers who were playing bingo with Arabic numbers.

"Not having a clue what was happening we gamified the experience into a drinking game at our own table which soon expanded to tables all around us, " Will explained to LancsLive.

"Seeing how everyone could unify so easily around Bingo and how easy it was for people to engage with, it didn't take long to cook up our very own wild child bingo rave. "

"Our first show, we didn't really know what we were doing. It was five-hours long, the team were drenched in sweat and the audience couldn't get enough and so they kept coming back again and again".

Now, the founders are taking the show on the road in the UK this spring, starting in Northern Ireland on April 3, then heading to a n umber of other venues before reaching Lancaster.

Will, Stephen and Craig have also planned a tour of shows in the United Arab Emirates, have already hosted events in America and Canada and have also expanded to Australia. The entrepreneurs have a background in event and gig promotion, marketing start ups and commercial executives and as a result have a "well rounded" set of skill and experience.

Once they had settled on an idea, the Dublin-based trio got to work to build a team of performers, including DJs, dancers and event managers from a huge pool or people they had worked with over the years. We did a small trial run to 100 of our friends and the feedback was insane, "Will added, who admits they were "winging it" at the beginning.

"It was not the well oiled, high end production it is today mind you. "Initially for the first year we worked hard on making our shows popular in Dublin but it wasn't before long it spread to all around Ireland and we began popping up in cities like New York, Sydney and Vancouver."

The first-ever event was held in a basement club in Dublin and post covid-lockdowns, Will hopes they can continue to bring the chaos, music nostalgia and fun to new places, with an "insatiable appetite" for their type of entertainment.

Will added: "We specialise in getting groups together to sing, laugh, dance, play games and enjoy an interactive spectacle for the night. "Our shows in Kanteena in Lancaster, such a unique and special venue are truly a real highlight for us".

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Soldiers in Iraq and how they inspired the launch of Lancaster's new bingo rave - Lancs Live

Benefitting from a skewed Supreme Court interpretation of the Iraqi constitution, Irans loyalists this week once again preventedthe Iraqi parliament from electing a president, thus violating a constitutional mandate that a presidential election be held within 30 days of electing a speaker, which happened in January.

With parliament stalled, Iran and its tiny minority bloc are forcing Iraqs parliamentary majority to choose between forming a national unity cabinet with Iranian loyalists or keeping parliament closed indefinitely. Whichever way it plays out, the stand-off has only deepened a political crisis that has plagued the war-scarred country for months.

In February, Iraqs Supreme Courtdealtthe countrys anti-Iran majority a stinging defeat when it offered an unconvincing explanation of how parliament should elect a president. The court in effect saved Iran from the humiliation suffered in Octobers parliamentary election, when its loyalists won only 62 out of parliaments 329 seats.

While most of the judges on the court are Shia, there is no clear evidence that they are partisans of Iran. That is because the court does not share its deliberations or detail how it reaches its decisions. It only issues a verdict with the signature of all nine judges. In this case, it seems the court was thinking that the inclusion of more blocs in government would produce stronger cabinets.

The Iraqi constitution stipulates that a simple parliamentary majority of 165 MPs constitutes a quorum. For the election of a president, the constitution says that a winner should collect support from two-thirds of members, without specifying whether that means all 329 office holders, or just those present for the vote.

Shutting down parliament was Irans only hope for stopping the majority from electing a president and prime minister and forming a cabinet. Iraqs Supreme Court raised the quorum bar from one-half to two-thirds with its interpretation that two-thirds meant all 329 members. But by doing so, the court undermined the basic constitutional principle of forming a simple majority government and forced in its stead a super majority.

In past elections, no bloc or alliance reached the simple 165 majority and Irans loyalists usually won the biggest number of seats. Hence, the disagreement was usually over defining whether the biggest bloc meant the biggest party or the largest alliance. By the time a majority was obtained, a quorum was achieved and everything else fell in place

But Iraqs 2021 election handed anti-Iran Shia cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr the biggest bloc, with 73 MPs. Sunnis won two blocs that were merged to form a 51-seat alliance. The Kurdistan Democratic Party won 31 seats. These three blocs then formed a 155-seat coalition and called it Rescue the Homeland (RH). Of the 43 independents elected, RH snatched enough MPs to become a simple majority coalition of 165 seats. The parties Etimad and New Generation also joined, raising RHs seat count to 202. And yet, while a 202-seat majority is big, it falls short of the super majority now required to elect a president and form a cabinet.

Before the courts ruling, the RH majority re-elected, on January 9, Sunni Muhammad Al-Halbousi for a second term as speaker.The Iraqi constitution stipulates that the election of a president should have followed within 30 days. But Irans loyalists took up the issue with the Supreme Court, disputing Halbousis election. Trying to split hairs, the court affirmed Halbousis win but fixed quorum for the presidential election at 220.

While the pro-Iran bloc won only 62 seats, it managed to win over many legislators by twisting their arms, at times threatening violence. But on Wednesday, just as it did during the previous two attempts, the quorum collapsed, leaving RH with two bad options: either let Iranian loyalists join a new cabinet or continue to linger under an interim one. Sadr did not his mince words when he tweeted his preference: I will not reach a consensus with you. A stalemate is better than dividing state spoils.

Iran and its loyalists do not care much about government. Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen are failed states and Tehran has never showed willingness to lift a finger to bring about settlements. What Iran does, however, is make sure that no cabinets are formed without its loyalists, which gives it the power to kill decrees or executive orders that might lead to the disarmament of its militias.

While Iran usually cloaks its quest for veto power behind insisting on the Shia share, such cover has been blown in Iraq where the biggest elected Shia bloc opposes Irans Islamist regime. In fact, all the components of Iraqs majority coalition, the Shia, the Sunni and the Kurd, represent their electorates and oppose Iran.

Iran has therefore changed its narrative from demanding the Shia share to insisting on national unity, which means giving Irans tiny minority veto power or live with a shutdown state. Before the Supreme Court handed Iran its ability to bring the state to a halt, Tehrans loyalists often threatened civil war if a cabinet was formed without them.

And thus, Iraq finds itself at a political standstill. Should Tehrans loyalists win a majority, they would form a cabinet while leaving the minority in their rearview mirror. For Iran, politics in Iraq comes down to this: find a way to win elections or employ strategies to ensure its loyalists never lose.

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Even when they fail to win, Iran's Iraqi loyalists refuse to lose | Hussain Abdul-Hussain | AW - The Arab Weekly