Key Takeaways:
- POLITICS: Integrity Commission Chief Faces Legal Action, Bribery Allegations; Parliament Concludes Discussions Of Controversial Personal Status Law Amendments Despite Strong Opposition – On September 16, Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council said it will take legal action against the head of the Integrity Commission, Haider Hanoun, for making “misleading” allegations about senior judges. Hanoun recently accused the judiciary of obstructing the investigations into the theft of $2.5 billion from government accounts in a major corruption scheme often called the “heist of the century.” Among other things, Hanoun blamed the judge in charge of the case for the alleged deliberate disappearance of case documents. The Supreme Judicial Council argued that Hanoun made these “untrue” allegations to divert attention away from recently published audio recordings that appear to implicate Hanoun in taking bribes. On September 16, Iraq’s parliament held a session during which it concluded its discussions of controversial proposed amendments to the Personal Status Law no. 188 of 1959. With discussions formally over, parliament can move forward to vote on the amendments, though a timeline has not been set. The Monday session met despite strong opposition from female lawmakers and moderate and secular parties, who mustered 110 signatures in support of a motion to take the amendments off the agenda. The amendments would allow Muslim Iraqis to seek guidance from clerics of their respective sects in matters of marriage, divorce, and inheritance. Opponents fear they could revive sectarian divisions and undermine women and children rights. In other developments, on September 17, political sources in Baghdad said that IRGC commander, Esmail Qaani, arrived in Baghdad on an undeclared visit for talks with politicians and militia commanders, starting with Hadi al-Amiri, Qais al-Khazali, and Kataib Hezbollah’s Hussein al-Hamidawi. more…
- SECURITY: Four IEDs Strike In Dhi-Qar, Salah Ad-Din, Ninewa, And Anbar; Militias Conduct New Drone Attacks Against Israel; Turkish Airstrike Kills One At A Refugee Camp – On September 15 – 16, four IED explosions were reported in Dhi-Qar, Salah ad-Din, Ninewa, and Anbar provinces. The bombs, which targeted a local militia commander, a tribal chief, a joint army-Peshmerga patrol, and PMF fighters, left several people injured but caused no fatalities. Between September 15 – 17, the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq,” a front group for Iran-backed Iraqi militias, claimed that it conducted two new attacks against targets inside Israel using explosive drones. There were no reports confirming that the drones reached their targets, and authorities in Jordan said their military shot down a drone that was attempting to cross Jordanian airspace. On September 16, a Turkish military drone struck a camp housing Turkish Kurdish refugees in the Makhmour district. The airstrike killed a member of the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and injured two other PKK members, according to security sources in the Kurdistan region. In other developments, on September 19, an airstrike by Iraqi F-16 jets killed a cell of six ISIS militants in Kirkuk province. more…
- ECONOMY & CLIMATE: Lawmakers Oppose Iran Railway Link; Iraq Launches Environmental Protection Strategy; Government Receives Draft Of New Income Tax Law – On September 17, a group of 125 lawmakers signed a letter expressing their opposition to the construction of a railway line that will connect Basra with Iran through the Shalamcheh border crossing. The signatories say the line’s design suggests that it could be used to carry freight instead of passengers as was initially declared. By having the capacity to carry freight, the line would threaten to bypass Iraq’s Grand Faw Port, whose aim is to provide the shortest link between the Persian Gulf and Europe via Turkey, the lawmakers contended. The Basra-Shalamcheh project was a priority item in talks between Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and PM Sudani last week. On September 18, UNDP, USAID, and the Iraqi Ministry of Environment launched Iraq’s National Strategy for the Protection and Improvement of the Environment in Iraq (2024-2030). A joint press release described the strategy as a pivotal step in Iraq’s ongoing efforts to address environmental challenges while aligning with the country’s broader development objectives. Over the next six years, the strategy will provide guidance for environmental protection efforts, offering plans to tackle critical issues such as rapid population growth, unsustainable use of natural resources, and regional water management difficulties. On September 19, the Iraqi government received the draft of a new income tax law that was prepared by a group of international organizations led by Germany’s GIZ. The development of the draft law is the culmination of consultation launched during a conference on tax reform that Baghdad hosed in January and reflects the government’s desire to increase non-oil revenue through fair and transparent tax collection, the prime minister’s office said. 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.