Key Takeaways:

• Iran’s Foreign Minister Meets Iraqi Leaders; Objections Block Further Discussion Of Election Law Changes – On February 22, Iranian FM Hossein Amir-Abdollahian visited Baghdad and met with PM Sudani, President Rashid, and Speaker Halbousi. Iraqi FM Fuad Hussein said the discussions addressed border security, Iraqi debt associated with energy imports, and his own recent visit to Washington. Meanwhile, Abdollahian spoke of a “comprehensive document for strategic cooperation” that a senior joint committee was working on. The Iranian diplomat also mentioned that water boundaries were a core element of bilateral discussions, which included “redrawing the Thalweg” line of Shatt al-Arab based on the 1975 Algiers treaty. In his remarks, Abdollhian also stressed that Tehran supports the resolution by Iraq’s parliament regarding the expulsion of U.S. forces. In remarks about Iraq’s role in bridging regional divides, the Iranian minister said Tehran would welcome the restoration of relations with Saudi Arabia, adding that Baghdad was also mediating between Iran and Egypt. On February 23, Iraq’s parliament postponed a session allocated for discussing controversial proposals to amend the country’s electoral laws after failing to achieve quorum. A group of independent lawmakers said they, along with small opposition parties, had decided to boycott the Thursday meeting and were gathering signatures in support of a motion to withdraw the proposed changes from discussion. The amendments in question center around reducing the number of electoral districts and returning to the Sainte Lague system of proportional representation. more…
• Alleged Tribal Conflict, Assassinations, and IED Claim At least 10 Lives – On February 20, unidentified gunmen attacked farmers in the village of Albu-Bali, northeast of Baquba, killing seven people and injuring three. Security officials attributed the violence to an old tribal conflict involving two neighboring tribes. On February 22, unidentified gunmen assassinated a colonel in the Iraqi air force and a prominent cardiologist in Anbar and Diyala, respectively. On February 23, an IED explosion killed a PMF fighters during security operations in Wadi Thar-Thar, south of al-Hadhar. In other developments, on February 18, unidentified militants attacked the offices of Iraqi news network UTV in central Baghdad with a hand grenade that failed to detonate. On February 19, Iraq’s Interior Minister visited Saudi Arabia where he and his Saudi counterpart signed a memorandum of understanding for bilateral security cooperation that was described as the first of its kind in four decades. more…
• More than 1,700 IDPs Returned To Their Districts This Week; Aid Organizations Report Fewer Access Obstacles, But Two Districts Stand Out – On February 22 and 23 Iraq’s Ministry for Migration and the Displaced said that a total of 1,829 internally displaced persons (IDPs) had voluntarily returned to their districts of origin in Ninewa, Kirkuk, and Salah ad-Din provinces from the Jedaa 5 IDP camp this week. On February 23, an update by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs showed that aid organizations working in Iraq reported 88% fewer incidents involving obstacles to access during the 3rd and 4th quarters 2022 compared to 2021 averages. Half of the 12 incidents reported were in Diyala’s al-Muqdadiyah district and Anbar’s al-Qaim district, near the Syrian border. more…
• New Contracts For Six Oil & Gas Blocks Signed; Iraq To Use Yuan In Trade With China; New Law Bans Alcohol – On February 21, Iraq signed the final contracts for the development of six oil and gas blocks in Basra and Diyala with Crescent Petroleum, Geo-Jade, and United Energy Group. The awards were initially made during Iraq’s fifth bid round in 2018. On February 22, the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) announced new measures to mitigate the ongoing shortage in foreign currency. Notably, the CBI will for the first time allow trade transactions with China to be settled using the yuan instead of U.S. dollars. On February 22, the Official Gazette of Iraq published the new Municipal Revenues Law, which includes new rules regarding fees collected by local municipalities. Notably, the new legislation includes a ban on the sale, import, and manufacture of alcoholic beverages, and imposes substantial fines on violators. In other developments, on February 20, Iraq’s Civil Aviation Authority reported that air travel operations in Iraq’s five international airports showed significant growth in 2022 compared to 2021. Approximately 79,000 departing and arriving flights carried a total of 9 million passengers in 2022, up from 63,232 flights and 4.9 million passengers in 2021. 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.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Meets Iraqi Leaders; Objections Block Further Discussion Of Election Law Changes

On February 20, Iraq’s Integrity Commission said that an anti-corruption court in Baghdad issued a subpoena for the former commander of the Federal Police forces who is suspected of embezzling IQD7 billion of public funds. The former commander, lieutenant general Raed Jawdat, allegedly embezzled the funds by manipulating a contract to purchase spare parts and armor kits for military vehicles between 2014-2016.

On February 21, the Electoral Judicial Committee ratified a decision made earlier by the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) regarding the leadership structure of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). According to documents released by the judiciary, the  Electoral Judicial Committee ratified an IHEC decision dated January 30 that rejected an appeal by former PUK co-chair, Lahur Talabani, in which he contested his removal from the party and amendments to its bylaws. In May of last year, the PUK elected Bafel Talabani as the sole president of the party, officially ending the dual presidency arrangement under which Bafel Talabani and Lahur Talabani had served as co-residents. 

On February 21, Iranian news reports said that Mustafa al-Kadhimi, Iraq’s former prime minister, visited Tehran on Tuesday for talks with Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, ahead of a visit by the latter to Baghdad. According to Iranian news agencies, the talks focused on Iraqi mediation between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The Iranian minister reportedly told Kadhimi that Tehran was in favor of reopening Iran’s embassy in Saudi Arabia and vice versa. Kadhimi revealed later that he also had meetings “about regional and international affairs” with Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi and Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf. This is reportedly Kadhimi’s second visit to Iran since he left office last October. An unnamed source close to Kadhimi told Shafaq that the visit was based on an invitation from the Iranians, who are asking the former premier to mediate between Tehran and Washington.

On February 22, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, visited Baghdad and met with Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani, President Abdul-Latif Rashid, and Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi. Speaking later at a joint press conference with the visiting Iranian minister, Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, said the discussions addressed several issues, including border security, Iraqi debt associated with energy imports, and the outcomes of Hussein’s recent visit to Washington “as it related to the Iranian side.” For his part, Abdollahian spoke of a “comprehensive document for strategic cooperation” that a senior joint committee was working on. The Iranian diplomat also mentioned that water boundaries were a core element of bilateral discussions, which included “redrawing the Thalweg” line of Shatt al-Arab based on the 1975 Algiers treaty, according to him. In his remarks, Abdollhian also stressed that Tehran supports the resolution by the Iraqi parliament regarding the expulsion of U.S. forces from the country, adding that he urged Iraq’s leaders to expedite legal action concerning the January 2020 assassination of Qasim Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. In remarks about Iraq’s role in bridging regional divides, the Iranian minister said Tehran would welcome the restoration of relations with Saudi Arabia, adding that Baghdad was also mediating similar diplomatic efforts between Iran and Egypt. 

On February 23, Iraq’s parliament postponed a session allocated for discussing controversial proposals to amend the country’s electoral laws after failing to achieve quorum. A group of independent lawmakers told the press that they, along with small opposition parties, had decided to boycott the Thursday meeting. A spokesman for the group, Najaf representative Hameed al-Shiblawi, added that the lawmakers opposing the amendments were gathering signatures in support of a motion to withdraw the proposed changes from discussion. The amendments in question center around reducing the number of electoral districts by treating provinces as individual electoral districts, and returning to the Sainte Lague system of proportional representation. 

Sources cited in this section include: Ultra Iraq, Nas News, Shafaq, ISHM archives, social media, al-Sumaria, INA, Rudaw, NINA, al-Hurra.

Alleged Tribal Conflict, Assassinations, and IED Claim At least 10 Lives

On February 16, security sources in Baghdad said that a mortar shell struck near an Iraqi army security post outside Camp Taji, north of the capital. There were no reports of casualties associated with the indirect fire attack. 

On February 17, the Security Media Cell reported that an Iraqi airstrike targeted ISIS militants in the Himrin mountains in northeastern Iraq, killing three militants. To the west, in Anbar province, Iraqi security forces killed a fourth militant in ground operations near the town of Hit.

On February 18, security sources in Baghdad said that unidentified militants attacked the offices of Iraqi news network UTV in the Karrada district of central Baghdad with a hand grenade that failed to detonate. Security forces removed the unexploded ammunition and there were no reports of casualties. 

On February 19, Iraq’s Interior Minister Abdul-Amir al-Shamari visited Saudi Arabia where he and his Saudi counterpart, Abdul-Aziz Bin Saud, signed a memorandum of understanding for bilateral security cooperation. A statement by Iraq’s Interior Ministry said the document is the first of its kind between the two countries since 1983. 

On February 20, security sources in Diyala said that unidentified gunmen attacked farmers in the village of Albu-Bali, near the town of Khalis, northeast of Baquba. The attack killed seven people, including two women, and injured three other villagers. Security officials attributed the violence to an old tribal conflict involving the main tribes residing in the villages of Albu-Bali and al-Jayaliyah. 

On February 22, local police in Anbar province said that unidentified gunmen assassinated colonel Saad al-Dulaimi, a military pilot in the Iraqi air force at al-Garma, near the town of Fallujah, without providing further details. To the east, in Diyala province, unidentified gunmen assassinated Dr Ahmed al-Madfai, a prominent cardiologist, in an attack outside his office in central Baquba.   

On February 23, the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) said that the explosion of an improvised explosive device (IED) killed one of its fighters in Ninewa province. The victim was part of a unit from the PMF 44th brigade that was conducting security operations in Wadi Thar-Thar, south of al-Hadhar. 

Sources cited in this section include: al-Sumaria, Shafaq, INA, NINA. 

More than 1,700 IDPs Returned To Their Districts This Week; Aid Organizations Report Fewer Access Obstacles, But Two Districts Stand Out

On February 22, Iraq’s Ministry for Migration and the Displaced said that 1,650 internally displaced persons (IDPs) had voluntarily returned to their districts of origin from the Jedaa 5 IDP camp this week. According to the ministry, these IDPs have returned to six locations in Ninewa province, including Mosul’s center, al-Hadhar, al-Qayyara, al-Baaj, Tal-Afar, and Hamam al-Alil. On the following day, the ministry added that another group of 179 IDPs had also left Jedaa 5 to and returned to their districts of origin in Kirkuk and Salah ad-Din provinces.

On February 23, an update by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) showed that aid organizations working in Iraq reported fewer incidents involving obstacles to access during the second half of 2022. In total, aid organizations reported 12 incidents that impacted access in seven districts in four different provinces. Half of those incidents were reported in Diyala’s al-Muqdadiyah district, and western Anbar’s al-Qaim district, on the Syrian border. The update says these incidents were mostly administrative in nature and were often “resolved through coordination with local authorities.” The report points out that these levels represent a drop of nearly 88% in incidents compared to the quarterly average of the previous year. 

Sources cited in this section include: Kurdistan24, al-Sumaria, Reliefweb.

New Contracts For Six Oil & Gas Blocks Signed; Iraq To Use Yuan In Trade With China; New Law Bans Alcohol

On February 19, Iraq’s Integrity Commission said that the Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court had issued new subpoenas for 12 officials from Iraq’s General Tax Commission on charges related to the theft of approximately $2.5 billion of tax deposit from government accounts. The targeted officials include the director of internal audits, the heads of three local commission offices, and the head of the money laundering and terrorism financing reporting office. 

On February 20, Iraq’s Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA) reported that air travel operations in Iraq’s five international airports showed significant growth in 2022 compared to the levels achieved in 2021. According to ICAA statistics, approximately 79,000 departing and arriving flights carried a total of 9 million passengers in 2022, up from 63,232 flights and 4.9 million passengers in 2021. The statistics covered operations at the international airports of Baghdad, Erbil, Nahaf, Sulaymaniyah, and Basra, and appear to exclude the recently opened Kirkuk airport. 

On February 21, Iraq signed the final contracts for the development of six oil and gas blocks the country had initially awarded to foreign oil companies during its fifth bid round held in 2018, the Iraqi prime minister’s office said. Crescent Petroleum of the UAE signed 20-year contracts to develop three blocks: Jilabat/Qamar in Diyala, Khashm Ahmar/Injana in Diyala, and Khidr al-Maa in Basra. Meanwhile, China’s Geo-Jade signed contracts for the Hawizeh and Naft-Khana fields in Basra and Diyala, respectively, and China’s United Energy Group signed a contract for the Sindbad field in Basra. Iraq expects the development of these fields to add 250,000 barrels per day in oil production and up to 1,000 million cubic feet per day in natural gas production. The new contracts include provisions for cost recovery caps, royalties, and revenue floors that will allow Iraq to guarantee good income from the projects when oil prices experience decline.   

On February 22, the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) announced a new set of measures meant to mitigate the ongoing shortage in foreign currency. Notably, the CBI will for the first time allow trade transactions with China to be settled using the Chinese yuan instead of U.S. dollars. The CBI will also allow government and private banks to open new outlets for foreign currency exchange exclusively using the new electronic “FITR” platform that Iraq has adopted to prevent currency smuggling and money laundering. As the markets closed on Thursday, the exchange rate on the market was around IQD1,530 to $1, which remains significantly higher than the official rate of IQD1,300 to $1 set by the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) earlier this month.

On February 22, the Official Gazette of Iraq published the new Municipal Revenues Law, which includes new rules regarding fees to be collected by local municipalities. Notably, the new legislation includes a ban on the sale, import, and manufacture of alcoholic beverages, and imposes substantial fines on violators. The publishing of the law, which brings it into effect, comes just a week after the Iraqi government issued new regulations imposing a 200% tax on imported alcoholic beverages for a period of four years. 

Sources cited in this section include: INA, ISHM archives, Rudaw, Nas News, Reuters, Official Gazette of Iraq.

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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