Iraq: ISHM: July 18 - July 25, 2019
Key Takeaways:
Baghdad And Erbil Appear Closer To Oil Agreement; CoR Amends Provincial Election Law; Abdul-Mahdi Mediates Between The UK and Iran – On July 20, 80 MPs asked Speaker Halbousi to reject U.S. sanctions on four Iraqi politicians. On July 22, the Iraqi parliament approved 20 clauses of an amendment to the provincial elections law. Elections are planned for April 2020, and will include Kirkuk. On July 22, Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi met with Iranian President Rouhani in Tehran, where they discussed easing Gulf tensions and attempted negotiations over the release of the British tanker seized by Iran. On July 22, Prime Minister Abdul-Mahdi said investigation into allegations of communications between the Anbar Operations Commander and a CIA agent did not prove the accusations. On July 22, Baghdad and Erbil formed a joint committee to resolve the dispute over the KRI oil obligations under the 2019 budget. On July 23, Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi announced that the government had issued arrest warrants for 11 former ministers suspected of corruption, while the CoR said the judiciary had sent requests to lift the immunity of 60 MPs suspected of corruption. more…
ISF Launch New Large Security Operation In Central Iraq; Turkey Intensifies Anti-PKK Raids; Militant Attacks Continue In Diayla, Ninewa, Salah Ad-Din And Kirkuk – On July 20, ISF launched the second phase of Operation “Will of Victory”, targeting the northern areas of Baghdad, as well as Diyala, Salah ad-Din, and Anbar provinces. On July 21, ISF killed seven ISIS militants in Ninewa. On July 19, a Turkish airstrikes hit suspected PKK targets near an IDP camp east of Mosul, injuring five civilians. On July 21, more Turkish airstrikes struck PKK targets in the KRI. On July 19, an unknown aircraft bombed a PMF camp in Salah ad-Din, injuring two Iranian advisers. On July 19, coalition airstrikes hit an ISIS camp in Ninewa, killing ten militants. On July 21, KRG security forces arrested two men accused of killing a Turkish diplomat in Erbil on July 17. On July 25, Turkish airstrikes killed the two “planners” of the diplomat’s shooting. On July 21, seven mortar shells struck a village in Diyala. The same day, an IED exploded in the village, killing one civilian and injuring two. On July 23, three ISIS militants stormed a village south of Mosul and killed two locals. On July 24, ISF killed five ISIS militants near Sinjar. On July 25, ISIS militants shelled a village in Kirkuk’s Daquq district, killing one civilian and injuring three. Several civilians and a policeman were killed nearby in a potential friendly fire incident. On July 25, ISIS militants executed two Yazidi men in Sinjar, and ISF killed three of the militants in a subsequent pursuit. more…
U.S. Helps Rebuild Yezidi Temple; HRW Issues New Report On Basra Water Crisis; New Mass Graves Discovered In Southern Iraq – On July 18, the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq announced that the U.S. government would be providing $500,000 for the restoration of the Yezidi temple in Lalish. On July 21, the Ministry of Planning said its proposal for the Regional Development Program allocates 45 percent of development funds to the public school system. On July 22, HRW released a thorough report on Basra’s water crisis and mainly lays the blame on poor government services, corruption, and mismanagement. On July 23, a Kurdish charity said 301 families have returned to IDP camps in the KRI due to poor security conditions in their home districts. On July 24, authorities discovered three mass graves in Samawa province in southern Iraq containing the remains of hundreds of victims, mostly Kurdish women and children killed in the 1980s by Saddam’s regime. On July 24, the Iraqi Red Crescent Society and German Red Cross delivered aid and relief to hundreds of families in Maysan, Basra, Diyala, and Ninewa Provinces. more…
Nasdaq Supports ISX With Technology; Iraq Boosts Output From Major Refinery; Oil Services Firm Staff Plead Guilty to Bribery Charges – On July 19, Nasdaq and the Iraqi Stock Exchange signed a deal that will allow the ISX to upgrade its systems to match international standards. On July 19, Reuters reported that a former partner to an oil services firm pleaded guilty to five counts of corruption, including conspiring to pay bribes to win a contract to supply and install new offshore oil export terminals and pipelines. On July 22, Iraq’s Oil Minister announced the completion of a second phase of repairs on the Baiji Refinery, boosting processing capacity to 70 thousand bpd. On July 23, the Iraqi and Saudi governments agreed to automate and streamline customs procedures and increase international flights between the two countries. On July 23, Iraq’s Finance Minister warned that a closure of the Strait of Hormuz would prevent Iraq from exporting the bulk of its oil and send the country into a financial disaster. 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 newly updated ISHM Reference Guide.
