ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Hotels in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq have witnessed a surge in western national occupants since escalations in US-Iran hostility in recent weeks.
Frank Philip is Iraq Programme Manager for Halo Trust, a British-American not-for-profit organization working on removing debris of war, especially land mines. The organization is active in Iraq, especially in its westernmost province of Anbar.
Philip has brought his company’s staff to an Erbil hotel to check in. “[I] have brought them over to Erbil just to be in the country [Iraq] until such time as the situation becomes clearer and we’re able to go back to Baghdad, Saladin and Anbar to continue clearance of explosive hazards,” Philip told Rudaw.
“For the time being, we’re remotely managing our projects from Erbil until the situation steadies,” programme officer Madeline Achurch told Rudaw.
Philips has brought his staff over to Erbil due to a spike in already high US-Iran tensions playing out in Iraq.
On December 27, a barrage of rockets hit the K-1 military base in Kirkuk province, where US troops were stationed, killing a US civilian contractor and injuring a number of American servicemen. The attack was largely blamed on Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah (KH) Shiite militias in Iraq.
Two days later, the US carried out airstrikes against Kataib Hezbollah positions across Iraq, killing 25 members of the group, including commanders.
Crisis deepened when the US assassinated Iran’s notorious General Qassem Soleimani and deputy head of Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
Amid such escalation, fears of Iranian retribution were rife. Multiple foreign embassies issued travel advisories for their citizens, including the UK. However, the advisory excluded the Kurdistan Region, as did warnings from other embassies.
While the rest of Iraq has suffered turmoil since 2003, the Kurdistan Region has enjoyed relative safety and security, encouraging more foreign investment than in the rest of the country.
According to the Directorate General of Registered Companies, there are 3,350 foreign companies from 85 different countries operating in the Kurdistan Region. Besides such foreign investment, there are roughly 30,000 foreign workers in the Region.
Tan Chin, a Chinese citizen, has invested in a 5-year recycling program in the Region. He lives in the Kurdistan Region with his family. Chin told Rudaw that the Region’s status as a growing market makes it a lucrative location to invest in.
“In my opinion, it [the Kurdistan Region] is better than Dubai because this is a new place, and Dubai is old. It has everything, but now in Kurdistan, it is a new place, and we can establish everything,” Tan Chin told Rudaw.
A seemingly reconciliatory speech from US President Donald Trump late on Wednesday has offered some hope of respite from the hostilities.
Iraq is heavily reliant on foreign investment and the work of international NGOs, especially in demining and re-construction operations following war with the Islamic State (ISIS).
Reporting by Dilnia Rahman, translation by Mohammed Rwanduzy
Frank Philip is Iraq Programme Manager for Halo Trust, a British-American not-for-profit organization working on removing debris of war, especially land mines. The organization is active in Iraq, especially in its westernmost province of Anbar.
Philip has brought his company’s staff to an Erbil hotel to check in. “[I] have brought them over to Erbil just to be in the country [Iraq] until such time as the situation becomes clearer and we’re able to go back to Baghdad, Saladin and Anbar to continue clearance of explosive hazards,” Philip told Rudaw.
“For the time being, we’re remotely managing our projects from Erbil until the situation steadies,” programme officer Madeline Achurch told Rudaw.
Philips has brought his staff over to Erbil due to a spike in already high US-Iran tensions playing out in Iraq.
On December 27, a barrage of rockets hit the K-1 military base in Kirkuk province, where US troops were stationed, killing a US civilian contractor and injuring a number of American servicemen. The attack was largely blamed on Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah (KH) Shiite militias in Iraq.
Two days later, the US carried out airstrikes against Kataib Hezbollah positions across Iraq, killing 25 members of the group, including commanders.
Crisis deepened when the US assassinated Iran’s notorious General Qassem Soleimani and deputy head of Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
Amid such escalation, fears of Iranian retribution were rife. Multiple foreign embassies issued travel advisories for their citizens, including the UK. However, the advisory excluded the Kurdistan Region, as did warnings from other embassies.
While the rest of Iraq has suffered turmoil since 2003, the Kurdistan Region has enjoyed relative safety and security, encouraging more foreign investment than in the rest of the country.
According to the Directorate General of Registered Companies, there are 3,350 foreign companies from 85 different countries operating in the Kurdistan Region. Besides such foreign investment, there are roughly 30,000 foreign workers in the Region.
Tan Chin, a Chinese citizen, has invested in a 5-year recycling program in the Region. He lives in the Kurdistan Region with his family. Chin told Rudaw that the Region’s status as a growing market makes it a lucrative location to invest in.
“In my opinion, it [the Kurdistan Region] is better than Dubai because this is a new place, and Dubai is old. It has everything, but now in Kurdistan, it is a new place, and we can establish everything,” Tan Chin told Rudaw.
A seemingly reconciliatory speech from US President Donald Trump late on Wednesday has offered some hope of respite from the hostilities.
Iraq is heavily reliant on foreign investment and the work of international NGOs, especially in demining and re-construction operations following war with the Islamic State (ISIS).
Reporting by Dilnia Rahman, translation by Mohammed Rwanduzy
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