Thought today, that rather than copying a single post that should be shared, I'd post some of my Pocket links. Don't worry, you don't have to download anything, in order to view.
Good time of day folks! This will be the last series of ISHM I will be posting on this blog. Events are winding down and if one requires news of this type from now on, please visit the ISHM website. There isn't any need for me to repost.
That said, this week I'm covering the past 3 weeks of ISHM. I will be covering ongoing events of The Empire and NATO as they strive for world domination however. So, stay tuned.
KDP and PUK Exchange Recriminations;
Ammar al-Hakim Threats to Oppose the Government; Iraq Continues
Mediating Between Iran and Gulf States – On June 2, Iraqi President
Barham Salih met with the German, French and UK ambassadors in Baghdad.
On June 2, the KDP published the full text of the deal it signed with
the PUK in March regarding government formation, in an implicit jab at
the PUK for boycotting the May 28 vote to elect Nechirvan Barzani as KRG
President. On June 2, Prime Minister Abdul-Mahdi claimed in a speech
that the Kurdistan Region had not turned over to Baghdad any of the
250,000 barrels of oil per day required by the 2019 budget law. On June
2, President Salih conveyed a proposal from Iran to Saudi Arabia,
Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates regarding a non-aggression treaty
between the countries. On June 3, The National reported that Iraq had
opposed the concluding statement of the Mecca Summit, authored by Saudi
Arabia, which condemned Iran’s activities in the region. On June 5, the
head of the Hikmah Movement, Ammar al-Hakim, criticized the incomplete
cabinet formation and threatened to withdraw support from the
government. more…
String of Bombings in Kirkuk Reignites
Political Contestation; Militant Attacks Continue Throughout Iraq
Despite Counter-Terrorism Operations; Intense Turkish Campaign against
the PKK in Northern Iraq and Militant Attack in Diyala Displaces Dozens
of Families – On May 30, a series of six explosions struck Kirkuk
city, killing three people and injuring 37. Local Arab and Turkmen
representatives called on the prime minister to dismiss Kurdish officers
in the province. The KDP, for its part, urged for the return of
Peshmerga forces to Kirkuk. On May 30, Turkish warplanes and attack
helicopters struck targets in the northern Iraqi region of Hawkurk.
According a Kurdish official, at least 120 villages in the Kurdistan
Region’s district of Sidakan have been evacuated due to Turkish
airstrikes on the area. On May 30, two members of the Popular
Mobilization Units (PMU) were shot by armed attackers north of Babylon.
On June 2, three people were shot in an armed attack in the village in
Diyala. The gunmen were members of an unidentified militia, raising
alarms about potential sectarian motivations and prompting the exodus of
more than 50 families. On June 3, gunmen attacked the offices of the
Islamic Dawa Party and the Communist Party in Basra. On June 4, ISIS
militants carried out a complex two-stage attack south of Salahuddin
Province, near Baghdad, killing four members of the Iraqi security
forces and injuring 17 others. more…
Iraqi Courts Will Begin Offering
Documentation to Children Born under ISIS Control; Yazidi Refugees
Return from Syria as New Mass Graves Investigated in Sinjar; New HRW
Brief Documents Torture of French Prisoners Accused of ISIS Ties –
The Iraqi Army launched an investigation into a footage of Iraqi
soldiers sexually assaulting a mother and her child in Mosul. On May 31,
Human Rights Watch published a brief detailing torture employed against
French suspected ISIS militants detained in Iraq. On June 1, an Iraqi
member of parliament confirmed that courts are being established to
issue birth certificates and identification cards to Iraqi children who
were born in ISIS controlled areas. On June 3, the Iraqi government
revealed new statics for Yazidi displacement and casualties since August
2014. According to the data, 6,417 Yazidis were captured and enslaved
by ISIS, only 3,476 of whom survived. On June 6, teams exhuming Yazidi
mass graves sent 138 bodies from Kocho to be identified through DNA
testing. On June 6, UNICEF reported that 2,000 schools have been
re-opened across Mosul and northern Iraq since 2017, allowing half a
million children to resume their education. 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. KDP and PUK Exchange Recriminations;
Ammar al-Hakim Threats to Oppose the Government; Iraq Continues
Mediating Between Iran and Gulf States
On June 2, Iraqi President Barham Salih met
with the German, French and UK ambassadors in Baghdad. The dignitaries
discussed the current situation in the Gulf region and Salih reportedly
thanked the European Union for the aid it has provided, particularly in
helping return displaced Iraqis to their homes.
On June 2, ExxonMobil began
to return 83 employees to Iraq in the West Qurna-1 oilfield in Basra
after removing them to Dubai two weeks ago due to apparent growing risk
of attack on the company’s installations by Iranian-backed militias. The
employees’ evacuation in May upset members of the Oil Ministry and
executives at the South Oil Company, with which ExxonMobil has a
contract to help improve production at the oil fields. Iraq’s Oil
Minister Thamer Gadhban wrote to ExxonMobil after the evacuation,
demanding that the employees return to work. ExxonMobil’s decision to
return reportedly followed reassurances from the Iraqi Oil Ministry and
Basra Oil Company that security in ExxonMobil facilities would be
increased.
On June 2, the KDP published the full text
of the deal it signed with the PUK in March regarding joint support for
the formation of the next KRG cabinet, the normalization of relations
between the two parties, and addressing the disputes between the KRG and
the central Iraqi government. The deal stipulated that the two parties
would work toward consensus in the KRI parliament. The release of the
agreement is an implicit jab at the PUK for boycotting the May 28 vote
to elect Nechirvan Barzani as President of the Kurdistan Region. The
PUK justified the boycotted by accusing the KDP of reneging on parts of
the deal regarding the appointment of a new governor in Kirkuk
province. The KDP decided to publish the full text of the deal to
undercut the accusations of the PUK, arguing that the appointment of a
new governor for Kirkuk is to coincide with the completion of cabinet
formation, not the election of the president. One June 6, he PUK threw
the ball back into the KDP court by proposing to
attend Barzani’s swearing in ceremony, scheduled for June 10, if the
KDP would uphold its end of the deal and support the PUK’s claim to the
top executive posting in Kirkuk.
On June 2, Prime Minister Abdul-Mahdi claimed
in a speech that the Kurdistan Region had not turned over to Baghdad
any of the 250,000 barrels per day of oil required by the 2019 budget
law, which was ratified by the Iraqi Council of Representatives (CoR)
following lengthy negotiations between Abdul-Mahdi and the KRG.
Abdul-Mahdi referred to political tensions between the two
administrations, saying that their differences should not influence
“public peace.”
On June 2, President Salih conveyed
a proposal from Iran to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the United Arab
Emirates regarding a non-aggression treaty between the countries. Iraq
delivered the message on behalf of Iran because Iran lacks diplomatic
relations with the other three countries. Iranian Foreign Minister,
Mohammed Javad Zarif, called for such a treaty during his May 26 visit to Baghdad.
On June 3, The National reported
that Iraq had opposed the concluding statement of the Mecca Summit,
authored by Saudi Arabia, which condemned Iran’s activities in the
region. The National quoted analysts who asserted that Iraq
relies too heavily on Iran to side with Saudi Arabia and other countries
eager to blame Iran for its influence in the region. The paper reported
that Iraq continues to offer to be a mediator in the conflict between
the US and Iran. Qatar, too, expressed reservations about the statement.
On June 5, the head of the Hikmah Movement, Ammar al-Hakim, criticized
the government’s delay in completing the cabinet formation, stating
that “other ministries require a cabinet reshuffle, while important and
sensitive positions are still being administered by acting officials.”
Citing shortcomings in the speed of improvement of provision of electric
services, al-Hakim further warned that “the option of national
political opposition is still in place.” On the same day, al-Hakim also expressed
doubts about the usefulness of the new Supreme Anti-Corruption Council,
saying that the council’s practical use was unclear although fighting
corruption was important. Calling corruption “the root of all sin in our
work and on the political scene,” al-Hakim argued that the eradication
of terrorism requires tackling corruption.
On June 6, the Washington Postreported
that Sheikh Nahro al-Kasnazan, an Iraqi Kurdish Sufi, and a minor
political player in Iraq who is currently living in Jordan, spent 26
nights at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. last year.
The report characterized Kasnazan as hawkish against Iran and allegedly
lobbying US National Security Adviser John Bolton and US Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo to carry out regime change in Iran. The report also
mentions allegations of corruption levied against Kasnazan and his
brother, who were both informants of the CIA prior to the Iraq invasion
in 2003. The article suggested that Kasnazan’s stay at the Trump Hotel
may have been an attempt to gain favor with the US President or advisers
close to him. String of Bombings in Kirkuk Reignites
Political Contestation; Militant Attacks Continue Throughout Iraq
Despite Counter-Terrorism Operations; Intense Turkish Campaign against
the PKK in Northern Iraq and Militant Attack in Diyala Displaces Dozens
of Families
On May 30, The Security Media Cell announced
that security forces freed a Yazidi women held captive by ISIS in Anbar
Province. Security forces killed seven ISIS fighters during the
operation.
On May 30, a series of explosions struck the Kirkuk city center, killing three people and injuring 37. Six improvised explosive devices (IED) exploded in the city and two more were defused by Iraqi security forces. The bombings occurred
as people were out in the streets, preparing for the holiday of Eid
al-Fitr. No group has claimed responsibility for the bombings, but the
attacks are similar to those previously carried out by ISIS militants in
the region. On June 1, representatives of the Arab and Turkmen
communities in Kirkuk called
on Prime Minister Abdul-Mahdi to dismiss Kurdish officers in the
province who had participated in the referendum for the independence of
the Kurdistan Region in September 2017. The representatives also
complained about the negligence of the police chief, called for his
dismissal, and requested even representation of Arabs, Turkmen, and
Kurds in the local police forces. They asserted that the police chief
had received intelligence concerning attacks that occurred in Kirkuk
city on May 30 and failed to take sufficient precautions to prevent
them. On June 2, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) advocated
for partnership and cooperation between the factions in Kirkuk province
and indicated support for equal participation of all communities in the
governance of the province. On June 3, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)
member Sobhi al-Mandalawi urged
for the return of Peshmerga forces to Kirkuk, arguing that the attacks
are “an expected result following the events of October 16, 2017 and the
removal of Peshmerga forces” from the city.
On May 30, Turkish warplanes and attack helicopters struck targets in the northern Iraqi region of Hawkurk as part of what Turkish armed forces refer to as “Operation Claw.” The strikes killed four PKK militants, according to the Turkish Defense Ministry. On June 4, the Turkish Defense Ministry reported
that at least six more PKK militants were killed in further strikes.
The ministry claimed that the total number of militants killed by Turkey
has risen to 34. On June 5, a Kurdish official announced
that at least 120 villages in the Kurdistan Region’s district of
Sidakan have been evacuated due to Turkish airstrikes on the area
targeting the PKK. The Director of Sidakan, Ihsan Chalabi, estimated
that more than 20 additional villages may soon be evacuated for the same
reason. Strikes on Mira Rash, a town in the district, wounded three
members of the Peshmerga forces on May 29.
On May 30, two members of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) were shot
by armed attackers north of Babylon. The shooting took place in the
region of Jurf al-Sakhr, north of Hilla. The gunmen fled to an unknown
location.
On June 1, fields belonging to Kurdish farmers were set on fire
again in the village of Alawa Mahmoud in Kirkuk. More than 15 dunams
(3.7 acres) of fields belonging to Kurdish owners were also burned
earlier in the day in Shakh Saiwan in the Tuz Khurmatu district.
Authorities in Kirkuk blame ISIS militants for the fires. On June 4,
agricultural fields were set on fire
in a village in Sinjar. The acting Mayor of Sinjar, Saad Hamid,
reported that the fire near Warde village destroyed an estimated 1,200
dunams (296.5 acres) of farmland. This is the fourth case of field
burning to occur in Sinjar.
On June 2, a court in Baghdad sentenced
two French men to death for joining ISIS. The sentences are subject to
appeal, but the lengthy process could take years to overturn. This
brought the total of French men sentenced to death in Iraq to nine. The
same day, Shafaaq reported that one of the French Nationals had been released
by the Court of Inquiry Karkh for lack of evidence. On June 3, the
remaining two French nationals transferred to Iraq from Syria were sentenced to death for belonging to ISIS. The total number of French nationals is reported to be between 11 and 14, although the official number is disputed. The men have 30 days to appeal the sentences.
On June 2, three people were shot
in an armed attack in the village of Abu Khanizir, part of Abu Saida
district, northeast of Baquba, the provincial capital of Diyala. The
gunmen were members of an unidentified militia, raising alarms about
potential sectarian motivations. The shooting led to the arrest
of members of security forces who were manning two checkpoints around
the area when the gunmen entered the village. The next day, the governor
of Diyala, Muthanna al-Tamimi, opened an investigation into the incident. The shooting prompted the displacement of more than 50 families that fled the village in search of safety in other areas.
On June 3, gunmen attacked
the Islamic Dawa Party headquarters in Basra,one day after an attack on
the Iraqi Communist Party office in the city. Five grandes were lobbed
at the office, but two failed to explode. There were no human
casualties, but the attack caused notable material damages. No one has
claimed responsibility for the attack.
On June 4, Prime Minister Abdul-Mahdi’s personal secretary announced that the opening of the Green Zone had been finalized. The Green Zone area in central Baghdad houses
embassies and national government offices and has been all but
off-limits to the public since 2003. As of Eid al-Fitr, however, the
area will be open 24 hours a day. According to the secretary, ten
streets have been opened and around 12,000 blocks of concrete have been
removed from those streets.
On June 4, ISIS militants carried out a complex two-stage attack south of Salahuddin Province, near Baghdad, killing
four members of the Iraqi security forces and injuring 17 others. The
militants first detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) targeting
a military vehicle, and subsequently used sniper fire against security
forces who deployed to the scene of the first attack. In response, the
security forces returned fire and killed three of the assailants.
On June 5, a landmine west of Haditha exploded, killing two farmers and injuring another. The farmers were harvesting wheat crops when the mine detonated.
On June 5, Iraqi Military Intelligence claimed that airstrikes carried out by the International Coalition killed seven ISIS suicide bombers hiding
in a cave in Anbar province. The Directorate of Military Intelligence
also stated that belts and abandoned weapons were seized from the cave
in which the bombers were hiding. Iraqi Courts Will Begin Offering
Documentation to Children Born under ISIS Control; Yazidi Refugees
Return from Syria as New Mass Graves Investigated in Sinjar; New HRW
Brief Documents Torture of French Prisoners Accused of ISIS Ties
On May 31, a video posted
to social media showed Iraqi soldiers sexually assaulting a mother and
her child in Mosul, Ninewa Province, sparking outrage across Iraqi
social media. In response, the chief of staff of the Iraqi Army,
Lieutenant General Othman al-Ghanmi, ordered the arrest of the soldiers
and an immediate investigation of the incident.
On May 31, Human Rights Watch published
a brief detailing torture employed against French suspected ISIS
militants detained in Iraq. About a dozen French men have been sentenced
to death to date. Two of the prisoners claimed that they were beaten
and forced to sign confessions. In one instance, a judge asked one of
the prisoners to lift his shirt in court, revealing scars and other
signs of abuse, but the trial proceeded. Human Rights Watch reports that
torture, including beatings and waterboarding are all common practices
in Iraqi detention centers. France’s foreign minister, however, expressed confidence on May 29 that the recent trials in Iraqi courts were “fair”.
On June 1, Wehda al-Jumaili, a member of the Human Rights Committee in the Iraqi Council of Representatives, confirmed
that courts are being established to issue birth certificates and
identification cards to Iraqi children who were born in ISIS controlled
areas. Jumaili revealed that certificates will be issued based on
witness statements and other evidence, stating that, “the process will
be easier for children whose parents are still alive”. Current Iraqi law
requires
that children have proper identification in order to receive welfare,
schooling, citizenship, and other benefits. Many children and families
born in formerly ISIS-controlled areas were given documentation that is
not recognized by the Iraqi government.
On June 2, a judge within the Iraqi Central Criminal Court reported
that the judiciary is handling the cases of about 1,000 children of
suspected foreign ISIS fighters. So far 252 children have been
repatriated to their home countries, a majority of whom hail from
Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Germany. Some countries are asking for
the swift return of these children, while others are seeking their
mothers’ consent before repatriating them. Many of these women are
either sentenced to death or serving life in prison for their
connections to ISIS. However, according to the judge, not every country
is seeking the return of their nationals, preferring for them to stay in
Iraq instead.
On June 3, the Iraqi Office for Yazidi Abductee Affairs revealed
new statics for Yazidi displacement and casualties since August 2014 to
June 2019. According to the report the total number of Yazidis in Iraq
prior to the 2014 genocide was around 550,000; 360,000 of them were
displaced following the invasion of ISIS. As a result of ISIS
atrocities, 6,417 Yazidis were captured and enslaved, only 3,476 of whom
survived. Thus far, 80 mass graves have been discovered in Sinjar
district. Approximately 2,745 children have been orphaned. In the first
days of the invasion, 1,293 Yazidis were killed while 68 religious
shrines were destroyed.
On June 4, the Security Media Cell revealed
that 13 Yazidi families, around 70 individuals, have been returned from
the Nowruz refugee camp in Syria back to Sinjar district. They fled
across the border into Syria in 2014 when ISIS entered the area.
On June 6, teams exhuming Yazidi mass graves sent
138 bodies from Kocho in Sinjar District to Baghdad. There they will
undergo DNA testing and be handed over to their families for burial. The
bodies had been exhumed from ten mass graves around the town of Kocho,
the site of major massacres ISIS perpetrated against the Yazidi
community during the 2014 genocide. The Iraqi and Kurdish teams working
to recover the bodies reported that there are still six more graves
around Kocho that need to be exhumed.
On June 6, UNICEF reported
that 2,000 schools have been re-opened across Mosul and northern Iraq
since 2017, allowing half a million children to resume their education.
Many schools were shut down when ISIS controlled the region. However,
UNICEF warns that around 2.6 million Iraqi children are still denied the
right to education. Existing schools also face a multitude of issues,
including lack of counselors to help students who suffer from
post-traumatic stress, poor quality of education, an insufficient number
of teachers, as well as an insufficient number of school buildings. In
an attempt to address these challenges, UNICEF is supporting local
authorities in Mosul in their efforts to rebuild damaged school
buildings and train teachers. IED Incidents and Resulting Casualties
Casualties Due To IEDs May 30, 2019 - June 6, 2019
The
following table includes both civilian and security forces who were
either injured or killed due to improvised explosive devices (IEDs),
vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs), or suicide attacks.
Iraqi Politicians Meet Foreign Counterparts; Nechirvan Barzani Elected President of the Kurdistan Region – On May 23, Iraqi President Barham Salih arrived in Jordan for a tripartite meeting including Jordanian King Abdullah II, Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. On May 25, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived in Baghdad and met with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi, President Barham Salih, and Speaker of the House of Representatives Mohammed al-Halbousi. On May 26, Zarif met with Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Hakim. On May 27, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi arrived in Doha to meet with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. On May 28, Nechirvan Barzani of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) was elected the President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). On May 28, Iraqi President Barham Salih met with Turkish President Recep ErdoÄŸan in Istanbul. On May 28, Iraqi Speaker of the House of Representatives Mohammed al-Halbousi met with Jordanian King Abdullah II. On May 29, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt ÇavuÅŸoÄŸlu arrived in Baghdad to meet Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammad Ali al-Hakim. On May 30, Iraqi President Barham Salih and Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammad Ali al-Hakim arrived in Saudi Arabia for meetings. more…
Militant Attacks Continue; Multiple Fires Rage in Iraq with ISIS Claiming Some as Arson Attacks; Iran Constructing New Iraq-Syria Border Crossing; Turkey Conducts Ground Offensive against PKK in Northern Iraq; US Renditioned Foreign ISIS Militants to Iraq from NE Syria – On May 24, Fox News reported that Iran is currently constructing a new border crossing on the Iraqi-Syrian border. On May 24, local witnesses and a security source notified Shafaaq News that unknown gunmen had set fire to wheat fields in the town of al-Jafar al-Haram, south of Tikrit. This fire is just one of many that have recently affected farms in Ninewa, Diyala, Kirkuk and Najaf. On May 24, ISIS fighters attacked a group of civilians in Salah ad-Din and set their crop fields on fire. Three were killed and three were wounded. On May 25, an IED killed and wounded locals and firefighters who were trying to extinguish a fire ravaging fields in the town of al-Abbasi in Kirkuk Province. Between four to five people were killed. The same day, in the farmland surrounding the town of Sharqat in Salah ad-Din Province, five farmers were killed and two wounded in twin IED explosions while trying to harvest their crops. ISIS later claimed responsibility for the attack. On May 28, the Iraqi Civil Defense announced that a total of 139 fires affected the provinces of Salah ad-Din, Kirkuk and Ninewa. ISIS claimed responsibility for 13 of these fires. On May 30 in the Daquq district of Kirkuk, civilians rushed to extinguish a burning field, but were ambushed by ISIS fighters. One person was killed in the attack, and between seven to nine injured. On May 24, the Iraqi army clashed with a popular mobilization unit in the town of al-Ba’aj, west of Mosul. On May 26, a vehicle-borne IED detonated in the town of Oweinat in Ninewa Province killing five people. On May 26, a roadside IED activated in the town of Kubaysah, west of Ramadi. The device killed one member of the Popular Mobilization Units. On May 29, an Iraqi court sentenced a French and Tunisian national to death, raising the total number of French nationals to seven after on May 28, an Iraqi court ordered death penalties for two French nationals who fought for ISIS. On May 28, Turkish commandos entered northern Iraq after an initial artillery and aerial bombardment. On May 28, a vehicle-borne IED exploded between Baiji and Haditha. The blast killed two members of the Popular Mobilization Units and injured one other. On May 29, Reuters reported that U.S. forces secretly moved suspected foreign ISIS fighters from Syria to Iraq for trial in 2017 and 2018. more…
Poverty Rates Rises is Diwaniya; Children with ISIS Links Repatriated to Turkey; Overcrowding and Abuse at Dhi Qar Prisons – On May 16, the World Bank published a report titled The Reconstruction of Iraq after 2003. According to the report, reconstruction in Iraq provides “few successes and many failures from which the international community can learn. On May 27, a member of the Diwaniyah Governorate Council stated that the poverty rate in Diwaniyah had reached 60%, a historic record for the area. On May 27, the Office of the High Commission for Human Rights in Dhi Qar reported on a disturbing level of overcrowding in two prisons in Nasiriyah. On May 29, the Iraqi government repatriated 188 Turkish children born to suspected ISIS members to Turkey. On May 30, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) issued a report stating that the first 10 families are returning to the Assyrian town of Batnaya in Ninewa Province thanks to the efforts of the UNDP to rehabilitate the town. 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. Iraqi Politicians Meet Foreign Counterparts; Nechirvan Barzani Elected President of the Kurdistan Region
On May 23, Iraqi President Barham Salih arrived in Jordan for a tripartite meeting including Jordanian King Abdullah II, Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The leaders reiterated their support for the full rights of the Palestinian people, including the establishment of an independent state with east Jerusalem as its capital as well as recent regional developments.
On May 24, thousands of protesters who are supporters of cleric-politician Muqtada al-Sadr gathered in central Baghdad’s Tahrir Square as well as the city of Basra to call for Iraqi non-intervention in the ongoing tensions between Iran and the United States.
On May 25, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived in Baghdad and met with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi, President Barham Salih, and Speaker of the House of Representatives Mohammed al-Halbousi. The leaders discussed recent international and regional developments and relations between Iraq and Iran. Zarif and Abdul-Mahdi also stressed the need to have security and stability in the region to avoid the damaging effects of sanctions and possible war. On May 26, Zarif met with Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Hakim. Hakim stressed that Iraq was opposed to the United States sanctions currently placed on Iran and the need to reach a solution between Iran and the United States that satisfies both nations. Zarif then traveled from Baghdad to Karbala. On May 27, Zarif described his visit to Iraq and the meetings conducted with various Iraqi leaders “constructive.â€
On May 27, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi arrived in Doha to meet with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. Abdul-Mahdi’s delegation included the deputy prime minister and several ministers such as oil, construction, housing, trade, and others. The two leaders discussed the relationship between Iraq and Qatar and how to increase cooperation between the two. On May 29, Abdul-Mahdi signed two memoranda of understanding with Qatar concerning the cultural, scientific, and educational spheres.
On May 28, Nechirvan Barzani of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) was elected the President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). Barzani received 68 votes from the 81 legislators participating in the parliamentary session. The four other candidates running did not receive any votes. Both the New Generation and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) boycotted the session. The PUK released a statement explaining that their absence, which blamed recent actions of the KDP, arguing that the KDP is making it difficult to implement recent agreements reached between the KDP and the PUK.
On May 28, Iraqi President Barham Salih met with Turkish President Recep Erdoğan in Istanbul. The meeting also included Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim Jaafari, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Iraqi National Security Adviser Falih al-Fayyadh, and Turkish Intelligence Chief Hakan Fidan. This meeting is one of many recent meetings about Turkey’s intensifying security operations against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) along the Iraq-Turkey border. Turkey’s most recent target is Hakurk, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) where, according to Turkish claims, the PKK is storing weapons and maintaining shelters.
On May 28, Iraqi Speaker of the House of Representatives Mohammed al-Halbousi met with Jordanian King Abdullah II. The two leaders discussed the relationship between Iraq and Jordan as well as how to increase cooperation between the two nations in all sectors. Recent regional developments were also discussed, with emphasis on how to maintain security and stability in Iraq.
On May 29, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu arrived in Baghdad to meet Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammad Ali al-Hakim. The two leaders discussed the relationship and cooperation between Iraq and Turkey. The two foreign ministers also discussed recent regional and international developments as well as how to advance peace in the region.
On May 30, Iraqi President Barham Salih and Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammad Ali al-Hakim arrived in Saudi Arabia to attend the preparatory foreign ministers’ meeting taking place before the 14th Islamic Summit in Mecca on May 31. Member nations of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation will attend this summit, alongside representatives from most Muslim-majority countries. Militant Attacks Continue; Multiple Fires Rage in Iraq with ISIS Claiming Some as Arson Attacks; Iran Constructing New Iraq-Syria Border Crossing; Turkey Conducts Ground Offensive against PKK in Northern Iraq; US Renditioned Foreign ISIS Militants to Iraq from NE Syria
On May 24, Fox News reported that Iran is currently constructing a new border crossing on the Iraqi-Syrian border near the Albu Kamal Al-Qaim crossing. The former border crossing was destroyed due to fighting and is currently closed, leading the Iranians to begin construction of their own . Western intelligence source speaking to Fox News believe that Iran aims to utilizing the crossing smuggle weapons and oil to Lebanon and the Mediterranean, in an effort to bypass U.S. sanctions and arm its proxies.
On May 24, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s military force, the Peshmerga, released data on the total casualty count of civilians and soldiers killed and injured by ISIS operations in four of Iraq’s provinces: Kirkuk, Diyala, Salah al-Din, and Ninewa. Secretary-General Jabbar Yawra claimed that in 2018, ISIS carried out a total of 456 operations that lead to 1,742 casualties and so far in 2019 they have launched around 100 operations resulting in 407 casualties.
On May 24, the Pentagon announced that they will be sending 900 more soldiers to the Middle East. The Department of Defense stressed that these troops are not being sent to Iraq or Syria, but rather to bolster existing operations. The Pentagon also accused Iranian-backed groups for the attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the Persian Gulf and the recent rocket attack near the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. U.S. Admiral Michael Gilday stated that the attack in Baghdad was carried out by an Iranian proxy, saying, “I can not disclose the sources of this information, but I say with high confidence that we are linking the Iranians to these attacksâ€. On May 26, a senior Iraqi security official toldAsharq Al-Awsat that Washington assesses that one of two Shi’ite factions were behind the attack, the Sayyed of Martyrs Battalions and the Imam Ali Battalions. According to the source, the U.S. notified Iraqi authorities that it may arrest individuals involved in the attack, “should evidence prove their involvement.â€
On May 24, local witnesses and a security source notifiedShafaaq News that unknown gunmen had set fire to wheat fields in the town of al-Jafar al-Haram, south of Tikrit. The sources believed that the gunmen were ISIS fighters. This fire is just one of many that have recently affected farms in Ninewa, Diyala, Kirkuk and Najaf. On May 24, ISIS fighters attacked a group of civilians in Salah ad-Din and set their crop fields on fire. Three were killed and three were wounded. On May 25, an IED killed and wounded locals and firefighters who were trying to extinguish a fire ravaging fields in the town of al-Abbasi in Kirkuk Province. Between four to five people were killed. Sources believed that the device was planted by ISIS. The same day, in the farmland surrounding the town of Sharqat in Salah ad-Din Province, five farmers were killed and two wounded in twin IED explosions while trying to harvest their crops. ISIS later claimed responsibility for the attack. On May 28, the Iraqi Civil Defense announced that a total of 139 fires affected the provinces of Salah ad-Din, Kirkuk and Ninewa. ISIS claimed responsibility for 13 of these fires. However, on May 29 Iraqi Prime Minister, Abdul-Mahdi, downplayed ISIS’ role in the recent fires. In a press conference, he argued that the fires were mostly caused by the dry climate, electrical faults, and local feuds while also deemphasizing the number of fires. On May 30 in the Daquq district of Kirkuk, civilians rushed to extinguish a burning field, but were ambushed by ISIS fighters. One person was killed in the attack, and between seven to nine injured.
On May 24, the Iraqi army clashed with a popular mobilization unit in the town of al-Ba’aj, west of Mosul. A tribal spokesperson told Shafaaq News that the PMU group, “Nawader Shammarâ€, got into a conflict with the Iraqi 20th division after the military ordered the PMU trucks to stop and attempted to search them. The PMU fighters, members of the Shammar tribe, failed to comply, fighting broke out. The trucks sped away and the army has initiated a search for the vehicles. The Iraqi army believes that Nawader Shammar, affiliated with MP Abdul Rahim al-Shammari, has been smuggling food and drugs.
On May 26, a vehicle-borne IED detonated in the town of Oweinat in Ninewa Province. It was parked in the local market and lead to the death of five people and wounding of eight.Â
On May 26, a roadside IED activated in the town of Kubaysah, west of Ramadi. The device killed one member of the Popular Mobilization Units.
On May 28, Turkish commandos entered northern Iraq after an initial artillery and aerial bombardment. The Turkish defense ministry announced that the operation targeted the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, in Iraq’s Hakurk region. The ministry stated that they had “neutralized†nine militants and destroyed various shelters and ammo deposits in Qandil and Zap. On May 29, the Turkish Defense Ministry stated that two Turkish soldiers were killed after stepping on an IED. The Ministry claimed that the device was planted by PKK militants.
On May 28, a vehicle-borne IED exploded between Baiji and Haditha. The blast killed two members of the Popular Mobilization Units and injured one other.
On May 29, Reuters reported that U.S. forces secretly moved suspected foreign ISIS fighters from Syria to Iraq for trial in 2017 and 2018. The Counter Terrorism Service, an Iraqi governmental organisation, denied these allegations. The suspected militants were captured by the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, Â before allegedly being transferred into Iraq. The suspects also claimed that they were beaten and tortured, which the CTS also denied. Human rights organizations have documented for years the widespread use of torture in Iraq. Both the U.S. Central Command and the SDF refused to comment on the report.
On May 29, an Iraqi court sentenced a French and Tunisian national to death, raising the total number of French nationals to seven after on May 28, an Iraqi court ordered death penalties for two French nationals who fought for ISIS. More French citizens are set to be sentenced this week and 12 more face trial. The French Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, re-asserted France’s rejection of the death penalty and urged for the men’s lives to be spared. Human right groups have criticized Iraq’s justice system and questioned the fairness of these trials. Poverty Rates Rises is Diwaniya; Children with ISIS Links Repatriated to Turkey; Overcrowding and Abuse at Dhi Qar Prisons
On May 16, the World Bank published a report titled The Reconstruction of Iraq after 2003. According to the report, reconstruction in Iraq provides “few successes and many failures from which the international community can learn.†The document examines these successes and failures through several lenses: the context, the international response, and the impact on areas like employment, infrastructure, governance, institutional reform, and private sector development. Through this examination, the report presents categories of lessons to be learned and applied to future reconstruction efforts. Firstly, it suggests that national institutions are important and should not be supplanted by international actors. Secondly, the report asserts that the insecurity and instability of conflict-prone environments has a major impact on the effectiveness of reconstruction efforts and the involvement of international actors. Furthermore, it argues that donor funding must be smart funding, delivered with careful consideration of its potential impact and uses. In addition, it stresses the importance of accountability and monitoring, particularly when foreign funds are involved. The report goes on to advise that the methods for assessing needs in Iraq during and following conflict need to be improved, as do communication and coordination between donors and national institutions. The document makes several important recommendations for future reconstruction efforts in Iraq and other similar situations: reinforce national institutions, balance focus between short- and long-term gains, improve support for private sector development, and enhance coordination between security and development actors.
On May 27, a member of the Diwaniyah Governorate Council stated that the poverty rate in Diwaniyah had reached 60%, a historic record for the area. The councilmember, Basma Kazim, attributed the rise in poverty levels to the challenges experienced by the agricultural sector, on which Diwaniyah is highly dependent, and on the lack of local government support for small businesses.
On May 27, the Office of the High Commission for Human Rights in Dhi Qar reported on a disturbing level of overcrowding in two prisons in Nasiriyah. According to the office, the prison for serious crimes currently holds 10,000 inmates in a facility designed for 4,000, while the smaller prison for lighter sentences now holds almost 800 inmates in space meant for 250. The Office of the High Commission noted that the overcrowding has a negative effect on the psychological condition and physical health of the prisoners, adding that the commission had received multiple reports of inmate death as well as complaints about torture.
On May 29, the Iraqi government repatriated 188 Turkish children born to suspected ISIS members to Turkey. Some of the older children in the group had been tried and convicted for illegal immigration to Iraq. While Turkey accepted these children, Iraq still struggles to return children from other nations who have arrived in Iraq and are linked to ISIS. Earlier this year, Reuters estimated that over 1,000 children connected to ISIS are still entangled in legal proceedings or are imprisoned in Iraq. Some of these children are too young to leave their parents who have been imprisoned, while others over the age of nine are held liable for crimes under Iraq law.
On May 30, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) issued a report stating that the first 10 families are returning to the Assyrian town of Batnaya in Ninewa Province thanks to the efforts of the UNDP to rehabilitate the town. The town’s 6,000 families fled it during ISIS’ onslaught in 2014 and have not returned since. The UNDP said that it hopes to complete the restoration of 400 homes in Batnaya, allowing about 1,600 displaced persons to return. The UNDP also intends to carry out 19 other projects in the town, to include improvement of the water network, building and rebuilding schools and a health center, and reopening local shops.
IED Incidents and Resulting Casualties
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Please note: some geographic locations represented are approximations and this map may not represent all incidents. Derived from firsthand accounts and Iraq-based Arabic and Kurdish news sources, the Iraq Security and Humanitarian Monitor is a free publication of the Education for Peace in Iraq Center.
ISHM: May 16 - May 23, 2019 - EPIC - Enabling Peace in Iraq Center
Key Takeaways:
New U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Confirmed as Tensions between Iran and the U.S. Continue to Affect Iraq; Iraqi Officials Meet Foreign Counterparts – On May 16, Matthew Tueller assumed his position as the new United States ambassador to Iraq. On May 18, ExxonMobil evacuated its foreign workers from the West Qurna oil field due to reports about growing threats to Americans in Iraq due to tensions with Iran. On May 18, the Bahrain Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised its citizens to leave Iraq and Iran immediately and cautioned against travel to these two nations. On May 20, Iraqi President Barham Salih met with Turkish Ambassador to Iraq Fatih Yildiz in Baghdad. On May 20, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi met with representatives from the Kurdish parliament to discuss the relationship between the Federal Iraqi Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). On May 21, United States Charge d’Affaires Joey Hood met with Iraqi National Security Adviser Falih Fayyad in Baghdad. On May 21, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi stated that Iraq will be sending delegations to Washington and Tehran to help “halt tensions†between those two states. On May 22, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi arrived in Kuwait for a two-day visit. On May 23, United States Charge d’Affaires Joey Hood stated that Iraq was granted another 90-day waiver allowing for the purchase of energy from Iran. more…
Militant Attacks Continue Throughout Iraq Despite Counter-Terrorism Operations; Rocket Lands in Baghdad’s Green Zone; U.S. Reportedly Arming Sunni Tribes – On May 17, ISIS announced that they were behind the burning of farms in Khanaqin. On May 18, the group torched more farms around Diyala. On May 19, a rocket landed the in Green Zone in Baghdad, less than a mile away from the U.S. Embassy. An Iraqi official within the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Services told the Daily Beast that a Iranian-backed group, Kataib Hezbollah, fired the rocket. On May 19, a roadside IED detonated outside of the town of Balad Ruz in Diyala Province, killing killing and injuring 26 Popular Mobilization Units members. On May 19, a senior official in al-Anbar Province told the pan-Arab daily al-Araby al-Jadid that Anbar tribal leaders met with U.S. military officials at the Ain al-Assad air base. The Americans reportedly promised the tribes that they will provide them with weapons. On May 19, some Iraqi officials warned Iranian-backed militias from antagonising or attacking American troops in Iraq. On May 20, a roadside IED exploded south of Tel ‘Afar in Ninewa Province. The blast killed one civilian and wounded three others. On May 22, ISIS fighters launched an attack on police in Salah ad-Din. This resulted in the death of one policeman and injuring of five others. On May 23, a vehicle-borne IED exploded in the al-Karabilah area of Qa’im, killing between one to two people. more…
Kurdish Families Expelled from Kirkuk; Some IDPs Return Home, While Others are Displaced Anew – On May 18, an official source told Shafaaq News that 600 Kurdish families had been expelled from three villages in Kirkuk province. On May 19, more than 120 internally displaced persons (IDPs) returned to their homes in Qaim. On May 22, 132 Yazidis left Erbil for Toulouse, France, where they will resettle as part of a cooperative program between the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the French government. On May 22, the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/ISIL (UNITAD) reported that it had completed the exhumation of twelve mass graves of Yazidis from a list of 16 sites that were identified in Kojo. more…
Copy of Casualties Due To IEDs June 6, 2019 - June 13, 2019
The following table includes both civilian and security forces who were either injured or killed due to improvised explosive devices (IEDs), vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs), or suicide attacks.
Please note: some geographic locations represented are approximations and this map may not represent all incidents. Derived from firsthand accounts and Iraq-based Arabic and Kurdish news sources, the Iraq Security and Humanitarian Monitor is a free publication of the Education for Peace in Iraq Center.
Artwork by: Angel Belgian - Sátira Surrealista | Desmatamento"
