198 TILG Iraq ceo networks

Iraq, in an area once home to some of the earliest civilisations, became a battleground for competing forces after the US-led ousting of President Saddam Hussein in 2003.

The Shia-led governments that have held power since then have struggled to maintain order, and the country has enjoyed only brief periods of respite from high levels of sectarian violence.

Violence and sabotage hinder the revival of an economy shattered by decades of conflict and sanctions. Iraq has the world's third largest reserves of crude oil.