Key Takeaways:

• PM Sudani Takes Over Key Intelligence Post Sought By Militias; PUK Speaks Of Putting An End To KDP Power Monopoly – On November 6, PM Sudani announced that he will personally oversee the operations of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service. The announcement came amid unconfirmed reports that two powerful militias, Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Kataib Hezbollah were competing for control over the crucial intelligence agency. On November 8, the leadership council of the PUK said it wants to “correct the path of governance” in the Kurdistan region and end the “unilateralism and monopoly of power” exercised by the rival KDP. The statement emphasized that the party has “decided to put an end to this pattern of governance,” adding that its leaders have met with other political parties to inform them of the party’s position. In other developments, on November 6, PM Sudani sacked the director of investigations in Iraq’s Integrity Commission over alleged shortcomings in conducting investigations into the theft of approximately $2.5 billion from the tax commission bank account. On November 6, parliament postponed a planned first reading of the “Flag Service” bill that would reinstate mandatory military service, abolished in 2003. The controversial bill faces much opposition, including from the Kurdistan region. On November 6, a group of 12 members of the Kurdistan region’s parliament said they decided to withdraw from future meetings of the regional legislature to express their objection to the extension of the current parliament’s term and the postponement of elections. more…
• U.S. Civilian Assassinated In Baghdad; Israel Behind Airstrike On Convoy Between Iraq And Syria – On November 7, unidentified gunmen shot and killed an American citizen in the Karrada neighborhood of Baghdad. The victim, Stephen Torell, was an aid worker and English teacher. According to police sources, Troell was driving a private vehicle with his wife and child when gunmen in two vehicles blocked the road and shot him. PM Sudani ordered an investigation into the assassination, for which no group has claimed responsibility. On November 9, airstrikes targeted a convoy of tankers near the town of al-Qaim, on the Syrian side of the border. Syrian sources said the airstrikes left at least 14 people dead, and Iraqi militia sources said that Iranian nationals were among those killed. Iraqi border officials said the tankers, 22 in number, had been sent from Iran carrying diesel fuel as part of an aid package destined for Lebanon. The Wall Street Journal, citing sources with knowledge of the incident, reported that Israel was behind the airstrike, which is said to have targeted an Iranian weapons shipment. In other developments, on November 8, security sources in Basra said that an Iraqi navy vessel sank at the Umm Qasr naval base on the gulf. The vessel, which appears to be the ageing Italian made corvette (F210), reportedly sank due to neglect and disrepair, after it started taking in water three months. more…
• Iraq Repairs Northern Oil Export Pipeline Destroyed During War With ISIS – On November 7, the director of Iraq’s state-owned North Oil Company said that repairs on a heavily damaged section of the country’s northern export pipeline would be completed by early 2023. The 75km section between Baiji and Ain al-Jahsh was attacked numerous times by ISIS militants ahead of their assault on Mosul in 2014. The official said that making the pipeline operational again would allow the Oil Ministry to avoid paying the KRG for use of the alternate pipeline the latter had built in 2014. In other developments, on November 6, PM Sudani accepted the resignation of Suha al-Najjar, the chief of the National Investment Commission, and authorized her deputy to preside over the Commission on a temporary basis. On November 9, Iranian officials said that Iraq and Iran have entered into new negotiations to extend their natural gas supply agreement, which is set to expire in 2023. 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.

PM Sudani Takes Over Key Intelligence Post Sought By Militias; PUK Speaks Of Putting An End To KDP Power Monopoly

On November 5, Iraqi President Abdul-Latif Rashid spoke by phone with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Blinken told Rashid that Washingron “stands ready to partner with the Iraqi government” under the Strategic Framework Agreement “to improve economic opportunities, advance Iraq’s energy independence, and address the climate crisis.” The Secretary also reiterated U.S. commitment to continue to support Iraq’s fight against remaining ISIS militants and discussed the “need to increase respect for human rights and fight corruption in Iraq.”

On November 6, Iraq’s parliament postponed a planned first reading of the “Flag Service” bill that would reinstate mandatory military service, which had been abolished in 2003. The draft bill requires able male citizens between the ages of 19 and 45 to serve between 3 and 18 months in the country’s military, depending on their education level. The controversial bill faces a lot of opposition, including from the Kurdistan region, which seeks to maintain control over its own armed forces. Other political groups argue that the bill would unnecessarily inflate the size of Iraq’s armed forces at a great cost to its treasury. 

On November 6, a group of 12 members of the Kurdistan region’s parliament said they decided to withdraw from all future meetings of the regional legislature to express their objection to the extension of the current parliament’s term and the postponement of elections. The group comprises seven representatives of the Justice group and five representatives formerly with the Gorran (Change) party. Previously, on November 1, the Kurdistan Islamic Union representatives had also declared their withdrawal from the 111-member legislature. 

On November 6, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shya al-Sudani announced that he will personally oversee the operations of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service (INIS). Sudani, who made the announcement after visiting the INIS headquarters, emphasized that the agency must maintain its operational course “according to the role prescribed in the constitution and the service’s bylaws…in accordance with the high national security interests of the country.”  The announcement came amid unconfirmed reports that two powerful militias, Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Kataib Hezbollah (in other reports Asaib Ahl al-Haq and al-Nujaba) were competing for control over the crucial intelligence agency. 

On November 6, Prime Minister Sudani sacked the director of investigations in Iraq’s Integrity Commission over alleged shortcomings in conducting the Commission’s investigations into the theft of approximately $2.5 billion from the tax commission’s account at the state-owned Rafidain Bank.

On November 7, Iraq’s Integrity Commission said that a court in Baghdad had sentenced a former governor of Dhi-Qar province to time in prison after the court found him guilty of abusing his powers to embezzle funds from the salaries of volunteer Sahwa (Awakening) fighters. The Commission did not mention the convicted governor by name, nor the length of the sentence. Two days later, on November 9, a judiciary source said a court sentenced a former governor of Salah ad-Din in-absentia to ten years in prison. The former governor in question, Ammar al-Jabr, was found guilty on charges of corruption and misuse of public funds, according to the sources. 

On November 8, the leadership council of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) said it wants to “correct the path of governance” in the Kurdistan region and end the “unilateralism and monopoly of power” exercised by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). The statement, issued after a meeting of the PUK’s leaders, emphasized that the party has “decided to put an end to this pattern of governance,” which the statement said harms “all of our people,” and not only relations between the KDP and PUK. The statement added that the PUK has had meetings with other political parties “to consult with our political partners” and inform them of the party’s position.  

Sources cited in this section include: INA, Rudaw, ISHM archives, PUKMedia, Nas News, al-Mada, al-Sumaria. 

U.S. Civilian Assassinated In Baghdad; Israel Behind Airstrike On Convoy Between Iraq And Syria

On November 3, security sources in Ninewa said that an airstrike by a Turkish armed drone targeted a vehicle transporting militants from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the al-Nasr area of the Sinjar district, west of Mosul. The airstrike killed three PKK members, according to the sources.

On November 3, security sources in Babylon province said that an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near a farm in the Jurf al-Sakhr subdistrict. The explosion injured three members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). To the south, another IED explosion on November 5 targeted a civilian vehicle that belongs to a tribal leader in the al-Kifil subdistrict, south of the provincial capital of al-Hilla. There were no reports of casualties in the attack. 

On November 5, Iraq’s Interior Ministry said its forces assaulted a tunnel used by ISIS militants as a hideout in the Badush mountains, west of Mosul. During the operation, security forces killed three ISIS militants, including the top ISIS militant in the sector. On the following day, the Asayish security forces of Sualymaniyah said they killed two ISIS militants during an operation to arrest them in the Sangaw subdistrict of the province. Then on November 9, the Popular Mobilization Forces said their fighters killed an ISIS militant who was part of a group that attempted to approach the Tarmiyah district, north of Baghdad. 

On November 6, security sources in Diyala said that unidentified gunmen shot and killed a tanker truck driver near the Abu Sayda subdistrict, northeast of Baquba. 

On November 6, the Turkish military said two of its soldiers were killed in an IED explosion that occurred in an unspecified location in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. On the following day, two other Turkish soldiers were killed and two were injured when PKK militants attacked their base in an unspecified location in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. 

On November 7, Iraqi security officials said that unidentified gunmen shot and killed an American citizen in the Karrada neighborhood of central Baghdad. According to the officials, the victim, Stephen Troell, was an aid worker with an international NGO. According to police sources, Troell was driving a private vehicle with his wife and child when gunmen in two vehicles blocked the road and shot him. Prime Minister Sudani has instructed his Interior Minister to oversee an investigation into the assassination, for which no group has claimed responsibility. 

On November 8, a security source in Basra said that an Iraqi navy vessel sank at the Umm Qasr naval base on the gulf. The source said the vessel sank due to neglect and disrepair, noting that it had started taking in water three months ago but the officers in charge did not take action to fix the problem. According to the source and an image of the sunken vessel, the ship in question appears to be the Italian made corvette F210. This was one of two ships ordered by Iraq in the 1980s but were stuck for three decades due to the Gulf war and didn’t arrive in Iraq until 2017. 

On November 9, local Iraqi security sources in western Anbar province said that suspected International Coalition aircraft conducted airstrikes targeting a large convoy of tankers loaded with allegedly smuggled Iraqi oil on the Syrian side of the border, near the town of al-Qaim. Syrian sources said the airstrikes left at least 14 people dead, and Iraqi militia sources said that Iranian nationals were among those killed in the airstrikes, according to a report by AP. A report by Shafaq, citing Iraqi border officials, said the tankers, 22 in number, had been sent from Iran carrying diesel fuel as part of an aid package destined for Lebanon. Two out of eight tankers that entered Syria were struck, according to the official, while the remaining dozen are still on the Iraqi side of the border. The U.S. military has denied involvement in the airstrike, but The Wall Street Journal, citing sources with knowledge of the incident, reported that Israel was behind the airstrike, which is said to have targeted an Iranian weapons shipment. 

On November 9, Iraq’s Defense Ministry said that Prime Minister Sudani issued orders to cancel the policy of requiring security checks for displaced people returning to areas liberated from ISIS. The announcement was met with strong objection from KDP lawmaker from Ninewa, Vian Dakhiel, who said the policy change would be “disastrous” for districts where many locals were involved in ISIS atrocities against various Iraqi communities.  

On November 10, security sources in Ninewa said that a legacy IED detonated in the Hammam al-Alil subdistrict, south of Mosul. The explosion wounded a civilian woman. 

Sources cited in this section include: NINA, Shafaq, AP, al-Hurra, Iraq Ultra, al-Sumaria, PUKMedia, Rudaw. 

Iraq Repairs Northern Oil Export Pipeline Destroyed During War With ISIS

On November 6, the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) said it had decided to suspend making transactions in USD with four private banks, while allowing transactions in other currencies to continue. The CBI said the decision was made “for auditing purposes,” without providing further details. The four banks targeted by the decision are the al-Ansri Islamic Bank, al-Qabidh (holding) Islamic Bank, the al-Iraq Asia Islamic Bank, and the al-Sharq al-Awsat Investment Bank.   

On November 6, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani accepted the resignation of Suha al-Najjar, the chief of the National Investment Commission, and authorized her deputy, Salar Mohammed Amin, to preside over the Commission on a temporary basis. On the following day, Sudani also dismissed the chief of the Baghdad investment commission and instructed the Integrity Commission to investigate reports of certain violations involving the capital’s investment commission.  

On November 7, the Iraqi Ministry of Health reported that there were 234 new infections with COVID-19, three new fatalities, and 21,524 people who received their vaccines during the period between October 31 – November 6. Cumulatively, the ministry reported 2,461,857 infections, 25,361 deaths, and 11,265,059 vaccinations. The average number of new cases during the last 7-day reporting period remained relatively unchanged at 34 per day, compared with 34 per day during the previous reporting period. 

On November 7, the director of Iraq’s state-owned North Oil Company said that repairs on a heavily damaged section of the country’s northern export pipeline would be completed by early 2023. The director, Burkan Hassan, said the repair effort has focused on 75 kilometers of pipeline between the oil hub of Baiji in Salah ad-Din province and Ain al-Jahsh in Ninewa province. This section, according to the official, was attacked with explosives 289 times by ISIS militants ahead of their assault on Mosul in 2014. Hassan said that making the pipeline operational again would allow the Oil Ministry to avoid having to pay the Kurdistan region for use of its alternate export pipeline. 

On November 9, the director of Iran’s national gas company said that Iraq and Iran have entered into new negotiations to extend an existing deal by which Iraq imports natural gas from its eastern neighbor. The gas deal, which supplies Iraq with natural gas for its power plants, is set to expire in 2023. 

Sources cited in this section include: Nas News, Shafaq, INA, Kurdistan24.

IED Incidents and Resulting Casualties

Casualties Due To IEDs from November 3, 2022 - November 10, 2022

Please note: some geographic locations represented are approximations and this map may not represent all incidents.

Derived from firsthand accounts and Iraq-based Arabic and Kurdish news sources, the Iraq Security and Humanitarian Monitor is a free publication of the Enabling Peace in Iraq Center.

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