Key Takeaways:
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KRG PM Holds Talks In Washington; Salah Ad-Din’s Governor-Elect Steps Down; Parliamentary Investigation Targets Basra’s Governor – On February 24, KRG PM Masrour Barzani arrived in Washington where he met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken. They discussed Erbil’s budget disputes with Baghdad, the halted oil exports through Turkey, the Sinjar Agreement, and the “worrisome” decisions by Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court regarding the Kurdistan region’s budget and election law. On February 25, the governor-elect of Salah ad-Din province, Ahmed al-Jubouri, said he decided to step down citing political struggles that prevented him from safely pursuing his goals. Jubouri’s confirmation was initially blocked by President Abdul-Latif Rashid on allegations of prior convictions for larceny and corruption. On February 27, acting speaker of parliament Mohsin al-Mandalawi created a parliamentary committee to investigate alleged violations committed by Basra’s governor while the provincial council was disbanded. Allies of governor Idani, who was elected against strong opposition from the Coordination Framework, rejected Mandalawi’s committee, which is to be chaired by a Kataib Hezbollah affiliated lawmaker. In other developments, on February 27, PM Sudani’s Cabinet appointed five new members to the board of commissioners of Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission (CMC). The parliamentary legal committee said the move was a violation, arguing that the Cabinet can only nominate candidates for parliament to vote on. more…
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Prominent Writer Survives Gun Attack; Bilateral Committee Holds New Round Of Talks On Coalition Withdrawal – On February 23, unidentified gunmen in two pickup trucks intercepted the vehicle of Fakhri Karim, the head of al-Mada media institution, and opened fire from automatic weapons. Karim was not hurt in the attack, which took place in al-Qadisiyah, a gated community in central Baghdad. The incident was confirmed by Iraq’s Interior Ministry, which opened an investigation into the attack. On February 29, PM Sudani’s military spokesman said the bilateral Higher Military Committee (HMC) held another round of talks about winding down the U.S.-led anti-ISIS Coalition mission in Iraq. In other developments, on February 22, Iraq’s Interior Ministry said that federal border guards, in coordination with the Peshmerga, advanced to the Iraqi-Turkish border near the Shiladze subdistrict of Duhok, where violence between the PKK and Turkish military is frequent, and took control of hitherto vacant security outposts. On February 29, unidentified gunmen attacked an office belonging to the Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada militia in Dhi-Qar province using rocket propelled grenades. On February 29, an armed Turkish drone struck a YPG vehicle south of Sinjar, killing two of its occupants and wounding the third. more…
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Journalists And Government Critics Face Attacks, Arrests, And Restrictions – On February 26, security forces arrested Yasir al-Jubouri, a well-known Iraqi blogger and government critic, at Baghdad’s airport, while he was leaving the country. Jubouri, who holds Irish nationality, was first arrested without a court order, but was later taken into police custody in Baghdad, where Prime Minister Sudani’s legal team filed charges against him under article 226 of the Iraqi penal code, which criminalizes acts considered to be publicly insulting the government. Jubouri was beaten, humiliated, and blindfolded during his detention, his family claimed. He was released on February 29 after Sudani dropped the charges amid growing public pressure. On February 27, acting speaker of parliament Mohsin al-Mandalawi instructed parliament’s legal department to sue “any person who offends the legislative institution and members of the council of representatives.” The move comes amid rising attacks on journalists and measures by other Iraqi state organs to suppress criticism. These include the attack on al-Mada’s Fakhri Karim, the arrest of blogger Yasir al-Jubouri, and a threat by the Federal Supreme Court last week to use the Baath Party era article 226 of the Iraqi penal code to retaliate against activists running a WhatsApp group that has criticized the Court. more…
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**Iraq Reopens Key Baiji Refinery Destroyed During The War With ISIS – **On February 23, Iraq reopened the newly rebuilt North Refinery in the Baiji refinery complex, which was badly damaged during the war with ISIS. When it commences operations, the 150,000 barrels per day (bpd) refinery will help Iraq reduce gasoline imports to zero by the second half of this year, down from current levels of nearly 7 million liters per day. In other developments, on February 26, Iraq signed a memorandum of understanding with South Korean company Hanwha to resume construction at the 108,000-unit New Bismaya City project, where financial difficulties had forced Hanwha to suspend work since October of 2022. On February 28, Iraq’s Electricity Ministry said that the power grid lost nearly 4,000 megawatts as Iran halted natural gas and power supplies to meet high domestic demand amid cold weather. more…