Attachments
Key Takeaways:
- POLITICS: Protests Erupt In Nasiriyah; KDP Wins Most Votes In Kurdistan Election; Sudani Replaces Beleaguered Integrity Commission Chief; Parliament To Vote On Personal Status Law Amendments – On October 18, protests broke out in Nasiriyah demanding the release of several activists arrested by authorities days earlier. The protests lasted three days and involved clashes between security forces and demonstrators that reportedly injured dozens. Further protests have been suspended after tribal leaders intervened and asked for time to mediate. On October 20, more than 2.68 million voters in the Kurdistan region of Iraq cast their ballots to elect 100 lawmakers who will constitute the region’s next parliament. Turnout was at 72%, according to election officials. Preliminary results showed the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) to be in the lead, followed by its main rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). The results also indicate that the opposition party Gorran (Change Movement) suffered major setbacks. On October 23, PM Mohammed al-Sudani appointed a new head for the country’s Integrity Commission, replacing Haider Hanoun, who has been embroiled in corruption allegations and a conflict with senior members of the judiciary. Mohammed Ali al-Lami, described as the longest-serving director general in the Commission, will be the anti-corruption body’s new head. On October 24, the press office of the Iraqi parliament said the legislature will meet on Sunday to vote on the controversial proposed amendments to the country’s Personal Status Law no.188 of 1959. Reports indicate that key Shia, Sunni, and Kurdish blocs have made a package deal to pass the amendments alongside two other bills dealing with the General Amnesty Law and the return of properties confiscated by the Ba’ath Party regime. more…
- SECURITY: Militia Attacks On Israel Increase Again; Top ISIS Commander In Iraq Among 23 Militants Killed This Week – Between October 17 – 24, the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq,” a front group for Iran-backed Iraqi militias, claimed that it conducted at least 15 new attacks against targets in various parts of Israel. This week’s attacks represent a 50% increase compared to the 10 attacks reported during the previous week. Between October 21 – 24, Iraqi security forces with support from the Global Coalition, conducted several air strikes and raids against ISIS militants in the provinces of Salah ad-Din and al-Anbar, and in the Himrin Mountains. During these operations, Iraqi forces killed at least 23 ISIS militants, including the organization’s top commander in Iraq, identified as Jasim al-Mazrou’i (aka Abu Abdul-Qadir), and other senior local commanders. Two U.S. servicemembers were injured while supporting the Iraqi troops, according to CENTCOM. In other developments, between October 19 – 23, two explosions involving a remnant of war in Baiji and a legacy IED in al-Yusufiyah killed one Iraqi and wounded at least six. more…
- HUMANITARIAN & HUMAN RIGHTS: Broadcaster’s Office Attacked, License Revoked After Airing “Insulting” Content; Arrivals of Lebanese Refugees Accelerate – On October 19, Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission (CMC) revoked the license of the MBC network in Iraq citing violations of broadcasting regulations and “repeated insults” aimed at “the martyrs…and leaders of the resistance.” The license revocation comes after the Saudi network published a program in which the leaders of Iran-backed militia groups were referred to as “terrorists.” The program sparked a violent response, as supporters of Hezbollah and other militia groups broke into MBC’s office in Baghdad, smashing its contents and setting parts of it on fire. On October 24, the UNHCR reported that the number of Lebanese nationals who have arrived in Iraq after being displaced by fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has grown to at least 19,252. The figure represents an increase of more than 7,550 new arrivals since last week, compared to an increase of 4,200 during the previous reporting period. The majority of the Lebanese arrivals (62%) are women and children, according to the UNHCR update. New arrivals were being bussed to Babylon and Diyala provinces instead of Karbala and Najaf, where housing facilities have reportedly reached capacity. more…
- ECONOMY & CLIMATE: Iraq Finalizes Deal To Import Gas From Turkmenistan; Oil Exports Significantly Down In September – On October 19, officials from Iraq and Turkmenistan signed the final gas supply agreement under which Turkmenistan is to deliver 20 million cubic meters per day of gas to Iraq via Iran’s pipeline network. Iraq has also hired Loxstone Energy of Switzerland to handle the delivery of the gas from Turkmenistan to Iraq using a swap mechanism through Iran, according to Iraq’s Electricity Ministry. On October 24, Iraq’s Oil Ministry said that crude oil exports in September averaged 3.31 million bpd, about 104,000 bpd lower than exports in August, as Iraq seeks to comply with OPEC+ supply cut agreements. The ministry neglected to mention the total revenue generated by the exports and the average price at which the oil was sold. Nearly all of the oil produced came from fields in southern and central Iraq while piped exports from Kirkuk and the Kurdistan region remained suspended. In other developments, on October 23, production operations at Iraq’s 140,000 bpd Karbala refinery resumed after four weeks of maintenance work. more…
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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.