Key Takeaways:
Sistani Gives Government Two Weeks To Investigate Violence Against Protesters; Former PM Calls For Early Elections; Security Officials Say Militia Commander Ordered Snipers To Target Protesters – On October 11, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani blamed the Iraqi government for the violence and numerous deaths during the recent demonstrations in Baghdad and other provinces and gave Iraqi leaders two weeks to conduct an investigation into the bloodshed and publicize its findings. On October 12, Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi formed a commission to investigate the deaths of over 110 protesters in recent demonstrations. On October 14, former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi called for new elections under UN supervision as a means to address Iraq’s political crisis. On October 17, two Iraqi security officials revealed details about the role of Iran-backed militias in using sniper fire to kill Iraqi civilians during anti-government demonstrations last week. The officials said the orders to use snipers came from Abu Zainab al-Lami, the head of security in the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). On October 11, Iraq’s Ministry of Communications announced the return of uninterrupted internet access to the country, ending the restrictions imposed during the recent protests. more…
Iraq To Repatriate And Try Iraqi ISIS Suspects Held In Syria; Multiple Bombings, Clashes Hit Diyala, Ninewa and Salah Ad-Din; Rosneft Partially Suspends Kurdistan Operations Due to Fighting – On October 17, Iraq’s Foreign Minister, Mohammed Ali al-Hakim, announced that Iraq is willing to repatriate detained Iraqi ISIS fighters and their families from Syria and try them in Iraq. Al-Hakim explained though that the detained ISIS fighters originating from 72 other countries should be the responsibility of their respective home nations. On October 11, ISIS militants assassinated the Mukhtar of al-Rashad subdistrict, southwest of Kirkuk. On October 11, gunmen killed a civilian in the village of al-Kisk, west of Mosul. On October 14, unidentified gunmen killed a civilian in Mosul’s old city. On October 12, an IED killed two civilians south of Mosul. On October 12, unidentified gunmen killed a civilian in eastern Baghdad. On October 15, unidentified gunmen shot and killed a civilian in Abu Ghraib, west of Baghdad. On October 13, a vehicle borne IED killed one Iraqi Army officer and wounded two soldiers in Anbar. On October 13, an IED injured three members of the Iraqi security forces south of Kirkuk. On October 14, an IED injured two farmers in Diyala. On October 14, an explosion killed three members of the PMF clearing explosives in Salah ad-Din. On October 15, an IED killed one civilian north of Mosul. On October 16, ISIS militants killed one PMF member and wounded two more in Diyala. On October 17, an IED wounded three soldiers in Diyala. On October 17, Russian oil company Rosneft announced that it will suspend its operations at Block 8, an oil field in the KRI near the Syrian border, due to security concerns caused by Turkish military operations in northeast Syria. more…
Eighty Nine Christian Families Return To Mosul; More Than 1,550 Syrian Refugees Cross Into Iraq; Iraqi Lawyers Say Government Continues To Hold 6,000 Protesters In Detention – On October 11, the Ninewa provincial council said that 89 Christian families returned to eastern Mosul from Duhok province after more than four years of displacement. On October 17, the Joint Crisis Coordination Center of the KRG reported that a total of 1,552 Syrian refugees have arrived in the Kurdistan Region since October 12 to escape the ongoing Turkish military operations in Syria. On October 14, the Iraqi Lawyers Association said that the Iraqi government continues to detain more than 6,000 protesters, most of whom are teenagers, despite promises by Iraqi leaders to release all demonstrators arrested during the recent protests. On October 15, Human Rights Watch expressed concern over attempts by several European countries, including France, Denmark, and Britain, to speed up the transfer of hundreds of ISIS suspects from camps in Syria to those in Iraq warning that such transfers could lead to torture and arbitrary trials. On October 11, Iraq repatriated 64 children of Uzbek ISIS fighters serving prison sentences for joining a terrorist organization in Iraq, back to Uzbekistan. The Iraqi and Uzbek governments, working with UNICEF, organized the transportation of the group, which included 14 children who are three years old or younger. more…
1.3 Million Apply For Unemployment Benefits; Internet Restrictions Hurt Business; U.S. Renews Iran Sanctions Waivers; KRG Announces $420 Million In Infrastructure Projects – On October 14, authorities reported that over 1.3 million Iraqis applied for unemployment benefits offered through an emergency grant established last week by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. On October 15, AFP reported that Iraq’s economy suffered significant losses due to the government-ordered internet shutdown during last week’s anti-government protests. Losses may amount to a total of $951 million. On October 16, the U.S. State Department granted Iraq another 120-day sanctions waiver allowing Iraq to continue importing electricity and gas from Iran. On October 17, KRG Prime Minister, Masrour Barzani announced a $420 million government program to expand the KRI’s infrastructure to enable economic activity and growth. Barzani said that the project will focus on the region’s transportation network, grain storage facilities, electrical grid, and water distribution infrastructure across the KRI. more…
For more background on most of the institutions, key actors, political parties, and locations mentioned in our takeaways or in the stories that follow, see the ISHM Reference Guide.