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Armed men have bombed a major oil pipeline in northern Iraq. Officials say the blasts caused a fire and stopped the oil pumping from Salaheddin province to the Turkish port of Jeyhan. They also say that the fire is contained and repairing is underway. Pipelines in Iraq frequently come under attack by militants. The Arab country is heavily dependent on oil export and it aims to increase its production capacity.

Tribesmen have blown up a major oil pipeline in southern Yemen. Officials say the flow of crude has been halted due to the explosion in Ash-Shihr town of Hadramawt province. This is the second such attack in the past three days. On Thursday, the country\\\'s main oil pipeline was bombed in the central province of Ma\\\'arib. Over the past two years, oil and gas pipelines in Yemen have come under repeated attacks, causing fuel shortages and slashing export earnings in the impoverished country. Yemen depends on oil exports for some 70 percent of government spending.

In Iraq\'s Kurdistan Region, a new oil dispute is on the horizon. Kurdish officials say they\'re going to build a second pipeline to export oil to global traders via Turkey. The move has angered Iraq\'s central government, which is firmly against Kurdistan\'s independent oil exports.

[13 March 2015] “Iraq set to launch major Tikrit offensive” - English

[28 Dec 2014] Libyan FM: Militants trying to seize oil resources - English

[05 Jan 2015] Bomb explosion injures 6 Ansarullah fighters in Capital Sana\' - English

[08 June 2014] US delegation in Iraq\'s Kurdistan amid Arbil-Baghdad oil dispute - English

Violence once again sweeps through Iraq, as SEVERAL soldiers were killed in pre-dawn attacks against their encampment guarding an oil pipeline in Northern Iraq. The style of attack mirrored another incident which took place in recent days in the town of Tuz Kharmatu where 6 police officers were executed by militants.Many claim the recent wave of violence in Iraq is the worst the country has seen in years. Political analyst Hamze Mustapha says the situation can not be contained by the army alone. Violence intensified in Iraq in recent weeks as foreign backed militants attempted to take over the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi in Anbar province.

[06 Oct 2013] Two deadly bomb blasts in Iraq northern Ninewah province - English

A section of a gas pipeline has been blown up in Egypt\\\'s Sinai Peninsula, with militants the prime suspects. Security sources say the target of the attack was a domestic pipeline feeding natural gas to an industrial area. There are no reports of casualties so far. Security forces have encircled the area and have launched an investigation. In recent months, militants have repeatedly targeted another pipeline in the region, halting gas supplies to Israel and Jordan. The militants escalated attacks on Egyptian police and security forces following the ouster of Mohamed Morsi in July.

Iran Iraq and Syria have agreed to sign the biggest natural gas deal in ME Sat Jul 23, 2011 9:43PM GMT English

While world powers attempt to tighten the sanctions screw on Iran, trade with neighbouring Iraq is booming. Both countries were once mortal enemies but since the fall of Saddam Hussein, Iraq is now a major consumer of Iranian manufactured goods partly because Iraq has virtually no industry of its own.

[14 May 2014] ICC launches probe into UK war crimes in Iraq - English

[18 May 2014] Above 19 million mines cleared by Iran since war with Iraq - English

Why israel wants an independent Kurdish state in Iraq?

Infighting between rival insurgent groups is raging on in Syria. Opposition sources say that foreign-backed militants have seized the headquarters of al-Qaeda-linked insurgents in the northern city of Aleppo. The sources added that members from several insurgent groups have taken control of a children\'s hospital in Qadi Askar district that is the headquarters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Aleppo. Meanwhile, other reports from Syria say at least 20 militants have been killed in a car bomb near the northern city of Dakoush. The attack was reportedly carried out by militants from the I-S-I-L. The recent tension among militant groups fighting the Syrian government has been the deadliest since the conflict began in the war-torn country back in March 20-11.

The Iraqi army has launched a major offensive against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants in the western province of Anbar. The military says its troops-- backed by helicopters, began the operation in Ramadi, banning all movement within the city. A police source says policemen and tribal fighters took part in the operation. In recent weeks, Ramadi has witnessed fierce clashes between the Iraqi government troops and the I-S-I-L militants. The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant is an al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group active in both Iraq and Syria.

Iraq\'s military says it is preparing for a major attack to clear the restive Anbar province of al-Qaeda-affiliated groups. Officials say the militants have killed more than 20 soldiers and a dozen civilians there on Sunday. The extremist militants have been in control of parts of the province in the past days, launching a full-fledged war against the central government. The militants are said to enjoy the support of certain regional countries that benefit from instability in the region.

Iraq once again threatens Turkey with tough measures over its oil deals with the Arab country\'s Kurdistan Regional Government. Oil Minister Abdel-karim al-Luaybi says Ankara\'s plan to import oil from its northern region is a QUOTE red line for Iraqis. Al-Luaybi warned that his government will cancel all the current contracts with Turkey if it allows Kurdistan\'s oil to be exported to international markets. The Iraqi minister added that Ankara\'s decision is not in Turkey\'s interests. The remarks are made a day after the Iraqi minister said Baghdad will take legal action against Turkey over the issue. The row between the two sides deepened after Iraq\'s Kurdish region announced that its first direct shipment of oil to Turkey has gone on sale.

Al-Qaeda-linked militants in Syria have killed at least 50 rival insurgents amid continued infighting among militant groups. Opposition sources say the insurgents were killed in attacks, car bombings and summary executions by militants loyal to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant or I-S-I-L. Sunday\'s deaths came on the third day of infighting that began when militants of the so-called Free Syrian Army attacked checkpoints and bases manned by the I-S-I-L. The clashes have mostly centered in the northern provinces of Aleppo and Idlib. Opposition sources say the I-S-I-L militants summarily executed thirty of their civilian and non-civilian hostages after their base was surrounded by rival insurgents in the Harem district of Idlib province. Meanwhile, a group calling itself the Islamic Front, which is the biggest insurgent alliance in Syria, issued a strong warning to the ISIL militants, vowing to fight against the group.

In Syria, insurgent groups continue to fight one another. A group calling itself the Islamic Front has killed and captured a number of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant insurgents in the town of Al-Nairab. The Islamic Front, which is the biggest insurgent alliance, had earlier announced that it would fight against the group. Earlier in the day, Al-Qaeda-linked militants killed at least 50 rival insurgents. The insurgents were killed in attacks, car bombings, and summary executions by militants loyal to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as the ISIL. It was the third day of infighting, which began when militants of the so-called Free Syrian Army attacked checkpoints and bases manned by the ISIL. Previously, the clashes were mostly in the northern provinces of Aleppo and Idlib, but opposition sources say the fighting has now spread to the east.

Iraqi prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki has blamed QUOTE \"diabolical and treacherous\" Arab states for the recent surge of violence in Iraq. Maliki says Iraq is a target for certain countries that support evil and terrorism. He warned that violence has started to expand and will ultimately reach the countries which are backing it. Maliki did not specify which countries support violence in Iraq. In the past, Iraqi authorities blamed Saudi Arabia and Qatar for fueling unrest in their country. Iraq has seen a surge in terrorist attacks over the past year. The army, in recent weeks, has been fighting militants from al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in the western province of Anbar. On Sunday, it launched a major offensive against the militants in the provincial capital, Ramadi.

The UN human rights office says a soaring number of executions in northern Syria could amount to war crimes. In a statement released on Thursday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay has warned militants and armed opposition groups that such executions violate international humanitarian law. Pillay said her office has received reports of a series of mass executions of civilians and soldiers in Aleppo, Idlib and Raqqah by militants, especially by al-Qaeda affiliates, fighting the Syrian government. Pillay says exact numbers are hard to verify, but many civilians and soldiers in the custody of militants have been executed since the beginning of this year.

[08 Oct 2014] Takfiri militants shot down military helicopter in northern Iraq - English

[20 Oct 2014] ISIL militants gain control of 2 districts in Iraq\'s northern city - English

Militancy on the rise in Egypt\'s northern Sinai. Eleven soldiers have been killed and nearly 40 others injured in an attack in the coastal city of el-Arish. The Egyptian soldiers were killed when a bomber rammed his explosive-laden car into their bus on its way to the capital Cairo. Officials say the soldiers belonged to the Second Field Army that\'s fighting militants in the Sinai Peninsula. No person or group has claimed responsibility for the deadly attack yet. Tensions in Sinai have been on the rise following the ouster of president Mohamed Morsi by the army in early July. Militants have mainly targeted policemen, soldiers and politicians. One of the deadliest attacks happened back in August when militants pulled 25 police recruits off a bus and shot them dead on the main road linking Rafah to el-Arish.

Reports coming out of Syria say al-Qaeda-linked militants have kidnapped about 120 Kurdish civilians from a village in the northern province of Aleppo, near the border with Turkey. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says Takfiri militants from a group called the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant entered the village of Ihras, seized the people, and then took the hostages to an unknown location. Sources in Syria say several of the hostages are women. Over the past few months, there have been a number of armed clashes between al-Qaeda insurgents and Kurdish fighters in northern Syria.

In northern Yemen, Shia Houthi fighters have overrun the strongholds of pro-Salafi tribal militants. Local sources say Houthis have taken control of the town of Houth as well as Khamri village from tribal gunmen in the north. The move is considered a major advance for the Shia fighters following weeks of battles with pro-Salafi militants. Houthi fighters and gunmen from the Hashid tribe have been engaged in heavy fighting since early January. Hundreds of people have lost their lives in the clashes since last October.