Iraq News Now

Shafaq News/ Iraq's 2024 was marked by profound regional and internal challenges, extending the tensions that have shaped the Middle East recently. The impact of ongoing conflicts raised fears that Iraq could become entangled in a broader regional war, testing its stability.

The year saw continued struggles between global powers and regional neighbors, with Iraq experiencing significant security, political, and economic shifts.

Here are some of the key events that took place in Iraq during 2024.

The Regional Battle

The year began with escalating security concerns. Armed Iraqi factions, focused on targeting US military bases in the region, framed their attacks as support for Gaza in its conflict with Israel. This reached a peak on January 28, when the "Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI)" launched an attack on the Tower 22 base near the Al-Tanf military zone at the crossroads of Iraq, Syria, and Jordan. The attack resulted in three US soldiers killed and 34 others injured.

While the factions announced a temporary freeze on operations against US forces, tensions remained high. In February, US airstrikes targeted faction positions in both Iraq and Syria, killing senior leaders of the Hezbollah Brigades (Kataeb Hezbollah) in Iraq, including Abu Baqir al-Saadi and Arkan al-Ulaywi.

Despite this, the factions continued their actions, eventually reaching 386 attacks on Israeli targets throughout the year, alongside nine coordinated strikes with the Houthi group in Yemen.

The rising attacks led to increasing concerns about Iraq's role in the regional instability, with warnings by factions that “the world will lose 12 million oil barrels per day if potential energy war will start,” disrupting oil supplies from the Middle East.

US-Iraq Talks

Amid ongoing discussions about the presence of US forces in Iraq, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s visit to Washington in April was a notable development. Al-Sudani signed 18 economic agreements with the US during his visit, which included meetings with President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Discussions focused on deepening Iraq-US ties, with Al-Sudani advocating for a full partnership. Meanwhile, the US announced in September that it would end its mission in Iraq by 2025, with a continued presence to counter ISIS in Syria.

Despite a declining US military presence of 2,500, the fight against ISIS persisted, with Iraqi forces and the Peshmerga conducting joint operations in several provinces, leading to the deaths of over 150 ISIS fighters.

Regional Escalation: Iraq Aids Lebanon

The Gaza conflict raised fears that tensions might spread into a larger war between Israel and Iran, with Iraq striving to avoid becoming directly involved.

On July 30, 2024, Israel's assassination of Hezbollah commander Fouad Shokr in southern Beirut escalated tensions, followed by the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. By late September, Lebanon saw further escalation, prompting Iraq to act.

On September 23, Prime Minister al-Sudani announced that Iraq would establish air and land corridors to deliver humanitarian aid and fuel to Lebanon, following the country's reception of several pagers bombing victims for medical care.

Diplomatic Confrontation with Israel

On October 28, Iraq lodged a formal complaint against Israel at the UN Security Council, accusing it of violating Iraqi airspace during an attack on Iran. This move marked a significant escalation in the already tense relations.

By November 19, Israel accused Iraqi factions of attacking its interests, putting Iraq at the forefront of growing regional tensions.

Prime Minister al-Sudani responded by accusing Israel of using the allegations as a pretext for aggression. Meanwhile, Shiite cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called for the state to control weapons, a statement some factions interpreted as a rebuke to armed resistance groups.

The Syrian Spillover: Border Security Concerns

With the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, Iraq reinforced its border with Syria to prevent a potential infiltration of armed militants. The government implemented stringent security measures, including barbed wire across the 600-kilometer border, concrete walls, and 918 thermal cameras. Although internal divisions persisted regarding Syria's political landscape, Iraq continued its diplomatic engagement, sending a high-level delegation led by intelligence chief Hamid al-Shatri to meet with Syrian new authority represented by the leader of operations Ahmad Al-Sharaa.

Audio Leaks

The political landscape in Iraq was overshadowed by a series of high-profile audio leaks, which exposed internal political struggles, corruption, and bribery scandals.

On August 19, MP Mustafa Sanad revealed the arrest of a network linked to high-ranking officials. By December, 10 audio leaks had surfaced, prompting judicial investigations. The defendants argued that these recordings were fabricated using artificial intelligence and that their motivations were political, but in conclusion, the leaks further deepened Iraq’s political crisis.

Al-Sudani rejected the accusations against members of his office regarding involvement in eavesdropping, describing it as "the lie of the century.”

Kurdistan Elections and Parliamentary Solutions

In October, the Iraqi parliament resolved its leadership crisis with the election of Mahmoud al-Mashhadani as Speaker after multiple failed attempts. This marked his return to the position 16 years after being ousted.

In the Kurdistan Region, parliamentary elections were conducted after multiple delays. The results showed that the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), led by Masoud Barzani, still secured the majority with 39 seats, while the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) won 23 seats. The opposition New Generation (Al-Jeel Al-Jadeed) party came third with 15 seats.

End of UNAMI’s Mandate

On May 31, the UN Security Council decided to end the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) by the end of 2025, following a request from the Iraqi government.

UNAMI’s remaining tasks include supporting economic reforms, sustainable development, and climate change mitigation.

Erdogan and Pezeshkian Visits

This year, both the Turkish and Iranian presidents visited Iraq. On April 22, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan began his first visit to Iraq in 13 years, during which he met with President Abdul Latif Rashid and Prime Minister al-Sudani. He also visited Erbil, where he met with Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and Prime Minister Masrour Barzani.

The visit resulted in the signing of 24 memoranda of understanding across various fields, including energy, trade, water resource management, and others, including a strategic framework agreement for cooperation between the two countries.

Erdogan's visit came shortly after the Iraqi National Security Council decided to ban the activities of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Iraq, a step praised by Ankare.

Around five months later, Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian became the first foreign leader to visit Iraq, responding to an invitation from Prime Minister al-Sudani.

The three-day visit took Pezeshkian to six Iraqi governorates and resulted in the signing of 14 memoranda of understanding in several areas, most notably natural resources, communications, media, agriculture, and religious tourism.

Nationwide Census

For the first time in 37 years, Iraq conducted a national census, revealing a population exceeding 45 million with a growth rate of 2.3%. Men made up 50.1% of the population, while women represented 49.8%. Prime Minister al-Sudani noted that 60.2% of the population was of working age.

As 2024 ends, Iraq faces a mix of challenges and opportunities. The political and economic crises that plagued the country remain unresolved, and officials acknowledge that Iraq cannot completely distance itself from the rapidly shifting regional dynamics that are expected to continue shaping its future.