Iraq: ISHM: August 15 - August 22, 2019
PMF Accuses U.S., Israel Of Targeting Its Bases; President Salih Tries To Contain U.S.-Iran Tensions; Parliament Removes Immunity Of Several Lawmakers – On August 21, senior PMF leader, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis said the PMF holds the U.S. and Israel responsible for recent attacks on PMF sites and threatened to fire at foreign aircraft that fly over PMF bases without Baghdad’s knowledge. On August 18, Iraqi President Barham Salih met separately with the U.S. and Iranian ambassadors to Iraq and discussed defusing U.S.-Iran tensions that are affecting Iraq. On August 16, Moqtada al-Sadr criticized PM Abdul-Mahdi over weak government performance in providing services and fighting corruption. On August 20, Germany’s Defense Minister visited Baghdad and expressed Berlin’s interest in training and supporting the ISF. On August 20, Parliament removed the legal immunity of several MPs per judicial requests. The move raised questions about selective enforcement of the law. more…
New Explosion Hits PMF Depots; Interior Ministry Rehires 25,000 Policemen; Militant Attacks Continue In Diyala – On August 20, a fire broke out at a PMF weapons depot in Salah ad-Din, the fourth such incident since July. On August 21, the Interior Ministry announced a decision to rehire 25,938 policemen who had been dismissed from service in four provinces in 2014. On August 17, three mortar rounds struck near a school in Khanaqin in Diyala province without causing casualties. On August 18, Iraqi Army Aviation destroyed a car bomb in Wadi Hauran in Anbar, killing its occupants. On August 20, two IEDs wounded four ISF members northeast of Baqubah in Diyala. On August 22, two mortar rounds struck outside Jalawla in Diyala. On August 22, ISF killed six militants, including four suicide bombers near the Qara-Teppeh in Diyala. On August 19, the Minister of Defense met with the commander of the Federal Police to discuss the transfer of security responsibilities in cities from the Army to the Interior Ministry. On August 20, an airstrike by the International Coalition killed six militants in Ninewa. more…
Iraq Executed 100 So Far This Year; Representatives Demand Investigation Into Disappearances; Thousands of IDPs Leave Ninewa, Salah Ad-Din Camps – On August 18, a member of the Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights said the country has executed more than 100 inmates so far this year. On August 20, representatives of Sunni-majority provinces called on the Iraqi government to take action to address the problem of enforced disappearances. On August 18, a Ninewa official said more than 23,000 orphans and 7,000 widows in the province survive on aid provided by NGOs and the charitable donations of locals because the local government lacked the financial resources to support them. On August 20, the governor of Ninewa said that authorities have begun the process of moving 4,500 IDP families from camps in Ninewa to their original districts in Kirkuk, Salah ad-Din and Anbar. On August 21, the Ministry of Migration said that 4,325 IDPs have left the Qadisiyah IDP camp in Salah ad-Din and returned to their original districts in Baiji, Shirqat, Sayniyah and Hatra in Salah ad-Din and Ninewa. more…
Iraq’s Gasoline Production Rises; Power Generation Slightly Up in August – On August 17, Iraq’s Oil Ministry reported 24 and 43 percent increases in gasoline and gasoil production in 2019, respectively. On August 20, the Ministry of Electricity said power generation increased to 18,145 MW in August compared with 17,967 MW in July. On August 21, Taqa, an energy firm operating in the KRI said it achieved a monthly production of 1 million barrels for the first time. On August 22, Istanbul’s Chamber of Commerce said Iraq has expanded the list of banned Turkish products from 78 to 85 while increasing its reliance on imports from Iran and China. 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.
