Iraq Situation Report: February 17-18, 2015. By Sinan Adnan and ISW Iraq Team

Key Takeaway: ISIS continues its offensive in Anbar near the al-Asad Airbase. ISIS has control of some parts of the nearby sub-district of Baghdadi, as its ability to demolish the homes of the Iraqi Security Forces there indicates. ISIS is also deliberately destroying government buildings and infrastructure, creating a practical as well as symbolic problem for the reconstitut

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Saudi Arabia’s oil output rising, at about 10 million bpd: PIRA

(Reuters) - Production from Saudi Arabia is rising, and demand has pushed it up to about 10 million barrels per day (bpd), according to energy consultancy PIRA. The estimate suggested the country is hewing tightly to the strategy of protecting market share rather than cutting production to try to inflate prices. Saudi production averaged about 9.7 million bpd since last June,

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Shell to build $11B petrochemicals complex in Iraq

Industry Minister Nasser al-Esawi said the Shell complex is expected to start up operations within five to six years and would make Iraq the largest petrochemical producer in the Middle East. Shell has signed a deal with Iraq worth $11 billion to build a petrochemicals complex in the southern oil hub of Basra, news agency Reuters reported on Wednesday. Industry Minister Nasse

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