Travel around the country, with the exception of the Kurdistan region, including to and from airports, can be dangerous and business visitors should consider hiring specialist security personnel. These can cost $3,000-6,000 a day and embassies in Baghdad maintain a list of recommended firms.

Local security firms include Al-Burhan Group, which offers a secure accommodation facility in the grounds of Baghdad airport as well as transport services. International security firms operating in the country include the UK’s Control Risks, which has facilities at the Carmen Business Centre inside the International Zone in Baghdad, a secure and restricted area in the centre of the city. Aegis, also of the UK, is another well-established security firm and offers weekly security reports. Similar accommodation facilities are on offer from security companies in Basra. International oil companies operating there also maintain their own secure compounds.

Territories administered by the Kurdistan Regional Government have largely been much quieter than the rest of Iraq, but most international firms operate with a country-wide approach of high alert.

The UK’s Foreign & Commonwealth Office recommends employing a professional security company for travel to all parts of Iraq apart from Iraqi Kurdistan, as well as arranging secure accommodation and considering specialist training before going to Iraq.

Seek local advice, especially when travelling to remote areas bordering Turkey, where there have been reports of shelling, unexploded ordnance and mines. Armed groups also operate along the Syrian border. Embassies can help provide travel advice, and some – including the UK embassy – can provide secure accommodation and services for first-time visitors. It is advisable to keep a low profile: arrange transport in advance and, when filling in forms that ask for an address, use a work address rather than a personal one.

Insurance companies such as Jordan’s Anglo-Arab Insurance Brokers (AAIB) provide specialist insurance for Iraq.