ISHM: July 21 - 27, 2017
Key Takeaways:
Destruction, IEDs, and Lack of Goods Leave Few Options for Mosul IDPs – Approximately 850,000 men, women, and children remain displaced from their homes in Mosul. The level of destruction and unavailability of basic necessities has forced more families to flee even after the city was declared liberated of ISIS earlier this month. Families who fled from the western to eastern side of the city are now making their way to IDP camps outside of the city due to the rising cost of goods and poor access to medical care in eastern Mosul. Approximately 48,000 houses have been destroyed since the start of the ISIS occupation in 2014, and according to Norwegian People’s Aid, “there are kilometers and kilometers and kilometers of active [IEDs], sensitive enough to be detonated by a child and powerful enough to blow up a truck.” Nayel al-Shammari, a Member of Parliament from Ninewa Province has called for better coordination among security forces out of concern that ISIS militants could return without a competent security and political structure. A patchwork of militias and government forces currently share overlapping responsibilities in Mosul, which underscores the difficulty in effectively responding to threats and emerging needs. more…
National Strategy to Address Child Health Needs Unveiled; Schools Reopen Despite Dangers – On July 23, the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the WHO, UNFPA, and UNICEF launched a national strategy for maternal and child healthcare to address the outsized needs of women, children, and adolescents in underserved and conflict-affected regions of Iraq. Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Regional Director, raised concerns that even though most fighting is over in Mosul, “children in shock continue to be found among the debris or hidden in tunnels…families have been forced to abandon their children or give them away, and they are now living in fear, alone.” In addition to protecting and reuniting these children with their families, UNICEF is working to reopen schools in western and eastern Mosul despite heavy destruction and a lack of basic services. Approximately 355,000 displaced children remain out of school in Iraq, including 90% of children in conflict-affected provinces. more…
Military Operations Planned for ISIS Centers of Tal Afar, Hawija – On July 25, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the development of a plan to clear ISIS militants from Tal Afar, 80 kilometers west of Mosul in Ninewa Province. The following day, the Iraqi Army moved 100 tanks and armored vehicles into the area. Iraqi and U.S.-led international coalition airstrikes have continued to target munitions stockpiles and militants in Tal Afar, leading to reports that ISIS militants have begun to flee the city. Airstrikes also continued this week in Hawija in Kirkuk Province, another ISIS stronghold. On July 26, an airstrike destroyed a major bridge leading out of Hawija in an effort to isolate the city and prevent the arrival of militants fleeing from Ninewa. more…
Pockets of Militants Targeted in Anbar, Diyala – On July 25, Popular Mobilization Units announced the start of operations, in conjunction with local police and Iraqi Security Forces, to clear the northeast of Diyala Province of ISIS militants. The same day, the Iraqi Army moved troops into the wetlands of northwest Anbar Province to conduct “extensive inspections” in an attempt to curb ISIS activity in that area. Earlier this week, PMUs clashed with ISIS militants near the al-Walid border crossing with Syria in Anbar Province. Holding cleared territory and reducing the threat of sporadic ISIS activity in Anbar, Diyala, and Salah ad-Din Provinces continues to be a challenge for security forces and popular militias as militants flee urban centers and seek to regroup. more…
Ammar al-Hakim Leaves ISCI; Gorran Movement Elects New Leadership – Iraqi Shia cleric Ammar al-Hakim resigned this week as leader of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI) in order to establish a new party: the National Wisdom Movement. The new party will purportedly be open to all sects and seeks to attract a younger following. Hakim’s split has caused a major rift in Iraqi Shia politics as he intends to retain control of ISCI’s assets – a party which his late uncle founded while in exile in Iran in 1982. In the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), the Gorran Movement elected Omar Sayid Ali as the party’s new leader following the death of Gorran’s first leader and founder, Nawshirwan Mustafa. Ali, who helped found the Gorran Movement, held a senior position with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan until he left in 2009 to establish Gorran. Ali said that he will remain committed to Mustafa’s position on reactivating the KRG’s suspended Parliament, a prerequisite for Gorran’s endorsement of the upcoming September referendum on KRI’s independence. KRG President and head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party Masoud Barzani congratulated Ali on his election and expressed hope that the two parties can reconcile their differences. more…
Iraq Signs Security MoU with Iran; Maliki Meets with Putin in Moscow – On July 23, Iraqi Defense Minister Irfan Hayali signed an MoU with his Iranian counterpart aimed at the “expansion of defense and military cooperation.” The U.S. State Department has not commented on the agreement, but both the U.S. and Iran have accused each other of attempts to influence Iraqi security and politics and destabilize the region in order to advance their own respective interests. Later in the week, Iraqi Vice President and former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss security and policy in the Middle East. Newsweek speculates that Maliki, long opposed to U.S. influence in Iraq, is trying to “play Moscow’s economic, political, and military power against Washington’s.” 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.