Key Takeaways:
Iraq Parliament Approves New Ministers Of Defense, Interior and Justice; Multiple Governors Sacked; New Protests In Basra, Baghdad And Najaf; French President To Visit Iraq – On June 24, the Iraqi Parliament voted to approve the appointment of new ministers for Defense, Interior Minister, and Justice, but failed to confirm a candidate for the Ministry of Education. On June 20, the French President announced that he intends to visit Iraq before the end of the year. On June 20, protestors gathered in Baghdad to condemn government corruption and the lack of public services. On June 22, dozens of Basrawis demanded the dissolution of the provincial council, the removal of the governor, and better services. On June 23, dozens of citizens protested in Najaf asking for better electricity provision and better health care. On June 25, protests flared in Basra again as demonstrators demanded better electric service and an answer to unemployment. On June 24, the new KRG Prime Minister announced that he is preparing to present his cabinet nominees by the end of June. On June 26, the Dhi-Qar provincial council voted to dismiss governor Yahya al-Nasiri. On June 27, the Diwaniyah provincial council voted to sack governor Sami al-Hasnawi. One June 27, the Administrative Court of Justice ratified an earlier decision in May by the Karbala provincial council to remove governor Aqil al-Turaihi from office. more…
U.S. Denies Reports Of Evacuating Contractors; Militant Attacks Continue In Baghdad And Northern Provinces; ISF And Coalition Forces Conduct Multiple Operations – On June 21, Iraqi and U.S. military spokesmen denied reports that U.S. forces were planning the evacuation of staff from the Balad military base.On June 20, a suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt inside a cafe in t Diyala province. On June 21, a bomb killed or injured multiple people in a Shia mosque in Baghdad. On June 23, an IED exploded in southwestern Baghdad. n June 23, ISIS attacked a village west of Mosul, killing one. On June 24, ISIS killed three civilians in Kirkuk province. On June 25, an IED targeted an Iraqi police patrol in Kirkuk killing one officer and injuring four. On June 26, a second IED attack killed a senior police officer near Kirkuk. On June 27, ISIS attacked a southwest of Mosul, killing three women and injuring several others. On June 21, the ISF announced a preventative military operation to drive out ISIS militants in the desert between Ninewa and Anbar. On June 24, PMF forces conducted a large operation to secure 120 kilometers of Iraq’s borders with Syria.On June 23, Iraqi counterterrorism forces (CTS) supported by coalition aircraft, destroyed ten tunnels and caves southwest of Mosul. On June 24, security forces destroyed another two tunnels and a weapons cache south of Mosul. On June 24, CTS reported killing 14 ISIS members south of Kirkuk. On June 24, coalition aircraft killed five ISIS fighters in an airstrike in Anbar. On June 25, an international coalition strike killed seven other ISIS members in Kirkuk. On June 26, Canada announced that it would extend its NATO training mission in Iraq until November 2020. Canada has been leading the training mission, involving 250 of the 850 personnel it has currently stationed in Iraq, since 2018. more…
Mass Grave Discovered Near Mosul; UN And Iraq Discuss Prosecution Of Foreign ISIS Fighters; Iraq To Close Ninewa IDP Camps; Water Shortage Threatens Sulaymaniya; Toxic Fumes Force Evacuations – On June 21, Ninewa police revealed the discovery of a mass grave containing 29 bodies of the police officers who were killed by ISIS south of Mosul. On June 21, Iraq’s Minister of Immigration confirmed the upcoming closure of IDP camps in Ninewa. On June 24, the U.N. human rights chief called for the release and repatriation of more than 55,000 suspected ISIS fighters and families currently detained in Iraq and Syria. On June 25, a local official said that at least 30 of the province’s 56 water pumps were defective, which could lead to severe shortages of potable water. On June 26, Prime Minister Abdul-Mahdi revealed that Iraq is discussing with the UN whether it can prosecute foreign ISIS fighters held in Syria who did not commit crimes in Iraq. On June 26, HRW warned of torture in Iraq’s prisons after a detainee lost an arm while in police custody. On June 26, two villages in Mosul were evacuated after a fire in the al-Mishraq sulfur factory emitted toxic gas. more…
Baghdad And Erbil Negotiate Their Oil And Budget Obligations; Major Oil Deal With ExxonMobil In Doubt; Iraq Exported 110 Million Barrels Of Oil In May – On June 20, the KRG president met with Iraq’s prime minister, president, and Speaker of Parliament to discuss the 2020 budget and the region’s oil exports. On June 21, Reuters reported that a $53 billion oil infrastructure deal between Iraq and ExxonMobil has been stymied by contractual disagreements and security concerns. On June 24, the Ministry of Oil announced that it continues to offer spot shipments of oil through electronic auction to capture extra revenue. On June 24, the KRG president met with the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq to discuss economic opportunities in the KRI. On June 24, Iraq’s Ministry of Oil reported exporting more than 110 million barrels of oil in May, generating revenue in excess of $7 billion. 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.