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Iraq + 1 more

ISHM: December 12 - 19, 2024

Key Takeaways:

  • POLITICS: Washington Encourages Sudani To Take Action Against Militias, Restore Sovereignty; Sudani Appoints New Intelligence Chief – On December 13, Secretary of State Antony Blinken met in Baghdad with Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani to discuss security cooperation and the situation in Syria following the fall of the Assad regime. The discussion emphasized the importance of a transition in Syria leading to a democracy that “protects all minorities, produces an inclusive, non-sectarian government, and does not serve as a platform for terrorism,” Blinken told reporters. He affirmed Washington’s commitment to supporting Iraq’s sovereignty and security, particularly in preventing an ISIS resurgence that could exploit the situation in Syria. Blinken also urged Sudani to “reinforce Iraq’s sovereignty,” a broad appeal to curtail Iran-backed militias and stop Iranian arms shipments to Syrian allies via Iraq, according to a U.S. official. Blinken reportedly argued that the fall of Iran’s regional allies presented an opportunity for Baghdad to assert control. On December 18, government sources revealed that PM Sudani appointed Hamid al-Shatri as head of the National Intelligence Service (INIS). Shatri, a former head of the Iraqi National Security Service (INSS), had been removed from that position in July 2023. Additionally, Sudani reinstated Omar al-Wa’ili as head of the Border Ports Commission, reversing Wa’ili’s dismissal in March. In other news, the KDP and PUK political bureaus met in Pirmam, Erbil, on December 17 to discuss the formation of the next KRG cabinet. A joint statement stressed unity and cooperation to protect Kurdistan’s vital interests. more…
  • SECURITY & HUMANITARIAN: Drug Smuggling From Syria Comes To A Halt; Syrian Army Soldiers Who Fled To Iraq Return Home – On December 17, Iraqi authorities reported that no drug smuggling operations had occurred from Syrian territory into Iraq since the fall of the Assad regime. Nearly 90% of drugs entering Iraq, primarily Captagon, originate from Syria, a member of Iraq’s National Drug Control Team stated. In one incident in October, Iraqi forces intercepted over 500,000 Captagon pills hidden in a vegetable shipment from Syria. Since Assad’s fall, several large-scale drug production facilities overseen by the regime have been uncovered in Syria. On December 19, hundreds of Syrian army personnel who had fled to Iraq during the regime’s collapse began returning home, according to an Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman. Dozens of buses and trucks dispatched by Syria arrived at the border to retrieve nearly 1,950 personnel, while 130 soldiers opted to stay at a temporary camp in Rutba. In other developments, between December 12 – 16, the explosions of three IEDs and one grenade attack were reported in Kirkuk, Basra, Diyala, and Baghdad, but no casualties occurred. more…
  • ECONOMY & CLIMATE: Iraq Boosts Capacity At Salah Ad-Din Refinery; “Inefficient” Wheat Growing Plans Reconsidered – On December 15, Iraq’s North Refineries Company announced the addition of two production units at the Sayniyah refinery in Salah ad-Din province. Each unit processes 10,000 barrels per day (bpd), raising the refinery’s total capacity to 50,000 bpd. On December 18, Water Resources Minister Awn Thyab revealed plans to reconsider expanding wheat cultivation beyond the current agricultural plan. He noted that this year’s surplus wheat harvest of three million tons caused significant financial losses, as the government purchased the grain at IQD 800,000 per ton (approximately $600) but sold the surplus internationally at half that price. Additionally, on December 17, the Iraqi government allocated extra subsidized diesel fuel to private power generators at a rate of 10 liters per 1 KVA of generation capacity. The move aims to offset power shortages caused by the suspension of Iranian natural gas imports, which has reduced Iraq’s power grid capacity by nearly 5,500 megawatts since November. more…

Attention readers! ISHM will take a break for two weeks during the holidays, and it will be back with fresh reports on January 9!

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.