Iraq: ISHM 219: August 22 – August 29, 2019
Key Takeaways:
PMF Affiliates Call Israeli Airstrikes “A Declaration Of War”; Government Issues Six-Point Statement To Contain Crisis – On August 25, the PMF-affiliated Fatah coalition called Israel’s recent airstrikes against PMF weapons stores a “declaration of war”, and accused the U.S. of complicity. On August 26, Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi briefed Iraq’s president and speaker of parliament on a government investigation into recent attacks on PMF bases. The meeting concluded with a six-point statement highlighting the need to avoid entanglement in a proxy war. On August 25, a member of Parliament with the Sadiqoun bloc said his group would seek a resolution to end U.S. military presence in Iraq as soon as the next legislative term begins. more…
ISF Conclude New Phase Of Security Operation; New Israeli Airstrikes Hit PMF Targets; Significant Attacks In Anbar, Kirkuk, Diyala And Babylon – On August 24, ISF launched the 4th phase of “Operation Will of Victory”. Over 3 days, ISF cleared 43,000 sq km of the Anbar desert, killed 2 ISIS members, captured 8 more, seized or destroying 72 explosive devices, and destorying 31 ISIS tunnels and positions. On August 25, the PMF said 2 Israeli drones attacked 2 of its vehicles in Anbar, killing 2 PMF members. On August 23, an IED attached to a motorcycle wounded 39 in the town of Musayyab in Babylon. On August 24, unknown militants launched a complex attack in the town of Daquq in Kirkuk, killing 6 civilians and wounding 9 more. On August 28, an IED exploded on a road near Garma in Anbar, killing 4 PMF fighters and wounding 1 more. On August 26, an IED exploded west of Baqubah in Diyala, killing 1 policeman and injuring another. The same day, ISIS attacked an ISF checkpoint near Khanaqin in Diyala, killing 2 Iraqi soldiers. more…
Dozens Of Families Displaced In Ninewa; HRW Says Iraq Prevents Children Who Lack Identification From Attending School; NRC Condemns Forced Relocation of IDPs – On August 25, security sources reported that 15 families left the Shora sub-district in Ninewa due to a resurgence in ISIS activity. On August 28, reports came that 25 families left the Hatra district in Ninewa due to similar reasons. On August 28, a HRW report said the Education Ministry instructed school principals to prevent children who lack identification papers from attending public schools. On August 28, Iraqi authorities moved hundreds of IDPs from the Hammam al-Alil camp to the Kirkuk district of Hawijah. The Norwegian Refugee Council condemned the “forced” relocation saying it exposes IDPs to security risks and lack of shelter. On August 28, Iraq and the UNDP signed an $33 million agreement under which the Iraqi government would finance UNDP-managed stabilization project in the provinces of Ninewa, Salah ad-Din, Anbar, Kirkuk and Diyala. more…
Iraq, Turkey Discuss New Pipeline; GDP Dropped 4% In First Quarter; ExxonMobil To Send Staff Back To Iraq – On August 28, Turkey’s Energy Minister met his Iraqi counterpart in Baghdad and discussed building a new oil export pipeline from the Kirkuk oil fields to Turkish ports. On August 27, Iraq’s Central Bureau for Statistics reported that GDP for the first quarter of 2019 was $51.3 billion, 4% lower than the fourth quarter of 2018, due in part to delays in approving the budget. On August 26, Basra Oil Co. said that ExxonMobil staff who were evacuated due to security concerns in June would return to Iraq soon. On August 23, the Ministry of Industry said that it has signed 196 contracts for new production agreements with private sector companies as well as the ministries of Defense, Electricity and Oil. On August 26, the Ministry of Oil said Iraq exported 110,548,767 barrels of oil in July, for an average of 3.566 million bpd, generating $6.468 billion in revenue. 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.
