The Iraqi cabinet declared a four-day public holiday this week as temperatures soared with power cuts compounding the problem. The oil export pipeline through Turkey was knocked out of commission by suspected sabotage and theft on the Turkish side of the border.
Iraq’s problems are mounting as it continues to battle determined jihadists just as regional geopolitics in its immediate neighborhood shifted, with Turkey’s decision to start bombing both Kurdish rebel positions in northern Iraq and both Islamic State (IS) and Kurdish strongholds in Syria (see p14). (CONTINUED - 1203 WORDS)
