Key Takeaways:

• POLITICS: Militia Threats Derail Nascent Diplomacy with Syria; Iraq Welcomes Fragile PKK Ceasefire Announcement – On February 27, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said that Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani postponed an anticipated visit to Baghdad because of “a campaign on social media” that expressed negative views about the visit. Meanwhile, news reports said that Iran-backed militias have made threats to assassinate Shaibani or Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, if either were to set foot in Baghdad. Publicly, former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a powerful figure in the Coordination Framework, said during a televised interview that Sharaa was not welcome in Baghdad. Shaibani was scheduled to visit Baghdad in late February to discuss Syria’s possible participation in the Arab League summit meeting that Baghdad is expected to host in May. On February 28, Iraq’s Foreign Affairs Ministry welcomed a call by Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), for the group to lay down its arms and dissolve itself. The ministry said Ocalan’s call was “an extremely important step towards security, not just in Iraq, where armed members of the party are present…but in the whole region.” Meanwhile, Turkish government officials have called for the dissolution not just of the PKK itself, but also of all armed groups affiliated with the PKK in Iraq and Syria, which Turkey accuses of being extensions of the terror-designated PKK. The PKK responded by announcing a ceasefire while declaring that disarming is a decision that requires Ocalan’s presence at a future congress. However, reports on Tuesday night indicated fresh clashes between the PKK and the Turkish military in northern Iraq, with Turkey claiming to have killed 26 PKK fighters this week. In other developments, on March 2, the Court of Administrative Law revoked a decision by the Dhi-Qar provincial council to sack Governor Murthadha al-Ibrahimi. On March 2, Asaib Ahl al-Haq leader Qais al-Khazali said that the political wing of his group plans to compete in the country’s next parliamentary election with its own list of candidates, separate from the Coordination Framework coalition. On March 5, the provincial council in Ninewa voted to sack its chairman, Ahmed al-Hasoud. more…
• SECURITY & HUMANITARIAN: Yazidi Peshmerga Brigade Breaks Away from the KRG; Loss of U.S. Funding Disrupts Return of Iraqis from Al-Hol – On March 1, officers from the 4th Peshmerga Brigade, a Sinjar-based unit comprising Yazidi fighters, announced their unit’s separation from KRG authorities. Speaking to reporters in Baghdad, the officers called on Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani to integrate them into the federal government’s security forces. The officers accused the KRG of violating their rights and depriving their unit of financial and administrative entitlements, without offering specifics. A military judge in the Kurdistan region said the move was an act of mutiny that should be prosecuted in a court-martial. On March 5, Iraq’s Ministry for Migration and the Displaced said the repatriation of Iraqi nationals from Al-Hol camp in northeast Syria will be paused for a period of 4–6 months. A ministry spokesman explained that the pause is needed to allow authorities at Al-Jedaa camp in Ninewa to finish rehabilitating hundreds of former Al-Hol residents who recently returned to Iraq. In remarks made on the same day, Iraq’s national security adviser, Qasim al-Araji, indicated that the loss of U.S. assistance funds was disrupting Iraq’s plans to repatriate all of its citizens from Al-Hol by the end of 2025. Speaking at a meeting to discuss the impact of aid cuts, Araji noted that the lack of U.S. assistance has disrupted the work of aid organizations active in Syria, warning that “Iraq cannot solve this issue alone.” Iraqi authorities take families returning from Al-Hol—most of whom have perceived ties to ISIS—to Al-Jedaa to undergo vetting and rehabilitation before they can return to their home districts. According to the spokesman, more than 15,000 Iraqis remain at Al-Hol. In other developments, two explosions on March 1–2 in Dhi-Qar and Sulaymaniyah killed two children and wounded another child. more…
• ECONOMY & CLIMATE: Iraq Builds Pipeline to Import Natural Gas; Halliburton in Negotiations to Develop Bin Omar Oil Field; Financial Disagreements Block Restart of Kurdistan Oil Exports – On March 4, Iraq’s Oil Ministry said it began building a 40-kilometer gas pipeline to transport natural gas from a planned gas platform at the Khor al-Zubeir port to the national distribution grid near Basra. According to Oil Minister Hayan Abdulghani, the ministry plans to install a floating gas offloading platform to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) to supply the country’s power plants. Construction on the 42-inch pipeline began in late February and is expected to take 120 days. The pipeline construction comes amid mounting concerns in Iraq about an imminent revocation of U.S. sanctions waivers that have allowed Iraq to purchase natural gas and electricity from Iran. On March 5, a senior Iraqi Oil Ministry official said negotiations were underway with Halliburton to develop oil resources at the Nahr Bin Omar oil field in Basra. The official noted that the development of the field’s gas and oil resources is being handled separately, citing a contract for gas development that was awarded to a local company last year. On March 6, a trilateral meeting between oil companies operating in the Kurdistan region and federal and KRG oil officials ended without an agreement to resume oil exports via the Iraq-Turkey pipeline, which has been halted since March 2023. An Iraqi Oil Ministry official told reporters that “the problems remain unchanged, and no tangible progress was achieved.” A spokesman for the oil companies said they demand more transparency in payments and to be treated the same as oil companies operating elsewhere in the country in terms of regular and predictable payments for the oil they produce. Disagreements over financial issues—reportedly including arrears owed to the oil companies from 2022–2023—continue to prevent the resumption of exports, even as Turkey reiterated its readiness to receive the oil this week. The deadlock comes two weeks after the KRG Ministry of Natural Resources reached an agreement with Iraq’s federal Oil Ministry to resume oil exports at an initial rate of 185,000 bpd. 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.

POLITICS: Militia Threats Derail Nascent Diplomacy with Syria; Iraq Welcomes Fragile PKK Ceasefire Announcement

On February 27, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said that Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani has postponed an anticipated visit to Baghdad. Hussein attributed the postponement to “a campaign on social media” that expressed negative views about the visit.   Meanwhile, news reports said that Iran-backed militias have made threats to assassinate Shaibani or Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa if either was to set foot in Baghdad. Publicly, former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a powerful figure in the Coordination Framework, said during a televised interview that Sharaa was not welcome in Baghdad. Shabani was scheduled to visit Baghdad in late February to discuss Syria’s possible participation in the Arab League summit meeting that Baghdad is expected to host in May. After placing the visit on hold, Damascus has reportedly called for assurances from Iraq that Shaibani would be safe in Baghdad.

On February 28, Iraq’s Foreign Affairs Ministry welcomed the call issued by Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), on the group to lay down its arms and dissolve itself. In a statement, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said Ocalan’s call was “an extremely important step towards security, not just in Iraq, where armed members of the party are present…but in the whole region.” Meanwhile, Turkish government officials have called for the dissolution of not just the PKK itself, but also of all armed groups affiliated with the PKK in Iraq and Syria, which Turkey accuses of being extension of the terror-designated PKK. “Regardless of whether they are called PKK, YPG or PYD, all extensions of the terrorist organization must dissolve themselves,” said Omer Celik, a spokesman for President Erdogan’s ruling party. In its first official reaction, the PKK, which has been fighting an insurgency against Turkey for more than 40 years, responded by announcing a ceasefire while declaring that disarming is a decision that requires Ocalan’s presence at the future congress. There were, however, reports Tuesday night of fresh clashes between the PKK and Turkish military in northern Iraq, with Turkey claiming to have killed 26 PKK fighters this week. Since the 1990s, much of the fighting between the PKK and Turkey has been taking place in Iraq’s Kurdistan region along the border with Turkey, resulting in casualties among civilians and the evacuation of hundreds of villages. Turkish strikes on PKK targets and affiliates  in and around Sinjar have also been destabilizing the district and impeding the return of displaced persons. Meanwhile, Turkish military presence inside Iraq to counter the PKK has fueled tension between Baghdad and Ankara. The Iraqi government officially banned the PKK last year.

On March 2, the Court of Administrative Law ruled to revoke a decision by the provincial council of Dhi-Qar province to sack governor Murthadha al-Ibrahimi. The court revoked the January 14 council decision and reinstated Ibrahimi because the allegations made against the governor could not be substantiated and none of the specific conditions required to justify a governor’s removal were in place, ruling documents circulating online said. On January 14, the provincial council of Dhi-Qar voted to sack Ibrahimi after he allegedly provided unsatisfactory answers to questions about financial and administrative violations he allegedly committed since taking office less than a year ago. 

On March 2, Asaib Ahl al-Haq leader Qais al-Khazali said that the political wing of his group plans to compete in the country’s next parliamentary election with its own list of candidates separate from other factions comprising the Coordination Framework coalition. During a televised interview, Khazali explained that he made this decision because his Sadiqoun bloc “has become prepared to have its own brand” adding that its chances of winning “will be better than if we entered into alliances” with other blocs.

On March 5, the provincial council in Ninewa voted to sack its chairman, Ahmed al-Hasoud, after the latter missed a council meeting where he was to face questions about his qualifications and decisions. The vote passed by a small majority of 16 of the council’s 29 members. Hasoud, a member of al-Aqd al-Watani, a bloc affiliated with Popular Mobilization Chairman Falih al-Fayyadh, is accused of fabricating his college degree and committing a number of administrative violations, including in the appointment of mayors and the sacking of one of his deputies. Hasoud’s bloc has condemned the vote as illegal and said they will challenge it in court. 

Sources cited in this section include: Baghdad Today, Asharq, Arabi21, Shafaq, ISHM archive, AP, Iraq’s Foreign Ministry, Rudaw, al-Hurra, Crisis Group, VOA, Ultra Iraq, al-Sumaria. 

SECURITY & HUMANITARIAN: Yazidi Peshmerga Brigade Breaks Away from the KRG; Loss of U.S. Funding Disrupts Return of Iraqis from Al-Hol

On March 1, officers from the 4th Peshmerga brigade, a Sinjar-based unit predominantly composed of Yazidi fighters, announced their unit’s separation from the authority of the Kurdistan regional government (KRG). Speaking at a press conference in Baghdad, the officers called on Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani to integrate them into the security forces of the federal government. The officers accused the KRG of violating their rights and depriving their unit—which reportedly comprises more than 1,200 officers and fighters—of financial and administrative entitlements. In a statement, the officers complained that they “have been subjected to injustice and deprivation of our rights, just as our people have suffered over the past decade.” The statement emphasized that their decision to resign from their political and military positions within the Kurdistan Region was the result of what they described as “unjust policies” imposed on them. The statement added: “We have decided to relinquish our military duties in the Kurdistan Region and appeal to the Iraqi Prime Minister to include us in the federal security forces.” Qasim Shesho, a Peshmerga commander in Sinajar, downplayed the news, saying the resigning officers and soldiers represent only 200 members of the brigade. A military judge in the Kurdistan region said the unilateral separation represents an act of mutiny that should be prosecuted in a court-martial. 

On March 1, security sources in Dhi-Qar province said that an explosive remnant of war detonated in the Tel al-Laham region south of the Suq al-Shuyukh district. The explosion wounded an eight year old boy who was playing nearby, the sources added.

On March 2, security sources in Sulaymaniyah province said that two children were killed when a package left outside their home in the Dokan district detonated as they opened it. The victims, a nine-year-old boy and a seven-year-old girl, were siblings, the sources added. 

On March 5, Iraq’s Ministry for Migration and the Displaced said that the process of repatriating Iraqi nationals from al-Hol camp in northeast Syria will be paused for a period of 4 – 6 months. Ministry spokesman Ali Abbas explained that the pause is needed to allow authorities at al-Jedaa camp in Ninewa to finish rehabilitating hundreds of former al-Hol residents who recently returned to Iraq. New returns will be put on hold until the backlog in rehabilitation is resolved, according to the spokesman. In remarks made on the same day, Iraq’s national security adviser Qasim al-Araji indicated that the loss of U.S. assistance funding was disrupting Iraq’s plans to repatriate all of its citizens from al-Hol by the end of 2025. Speaking at a meeting to discuss the impact of funding cuts, Araji noted that lack of U.S. funding has disrupted the work of aid organizations active in Syria, warning that “Iraq cannot solve this issue alone.” Iraqi authorities take families returning from al-Hol, most of whom have perceived ties to ISIS, to al-Jedaa to undergo vetting and rehabilitation before they can return to their home districts. More than 15,000 Iraqi remain at al-Hol, according to the ministry spokesman.

Sources cited in this section include: Peregraf, Rudaw, Baghdad Today.

ECONOMY & CLIMATE: Iraq Builds Pipeline to Import Natural Gas; Halliburton in Negotiations to Develop Bin Omar Oil Field; Financial Disagreements Block Restart of Kurdistan Oil Exports

On March 2, Iraq’s Minister of Agriculture, Abbas al-Maliki, said that Iraqi farmers exported more than 700,000 tons of dates to various countries in 2024. The figure is slightly lower than the previous year, when Iraq reported exporting 725,000 tons of dates. 

On March 2, the Central Bank of Iraq said it will begin offering easy loans to the owners of traditional brick factories to encourage them to upgrade their factories to run on clean natural gas instead of fuel oil. The initiative, which aims at reducing rampant air pollution, will offer factory owners loans of up to IQD 500 million each. After heavy air pollution in Baghdad raised alarms among the public, the government issued regulations requiring brick factories to switch from fuel oil to natural gas within 18 months. The Ministry of Environment has named brick factories, power plants, the Dora refinery, landfills, and asphalt factories among the main sources of the sulfury fumes that have frequently engulfed the capital in recent months.

On March 3, eight countries that are part of the OPEC+ groups announced plans to start reversing 2.2 million barrels per day (bpd) of voluntary output cuts made in 2023. Combined, the right countries (Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, the UAE, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Oman) will increase their output targets in April by 138,000 bpd. For Iraq, between April and September 2026, the country will see its output target revised upward by an average of 12,500 bpd each month until it reaches 4.220 million bpd, a chart published by OPEC showed. In their announcement, the eight countries “confirmed their intention to fully compensate for any overproduced volumes since January 2024…ensuring that all compensations are completed by June 2026.”

On March 4, Iraq’s Oil Ministry said it has begun building a 40 kilometer gas pipeline that will be used to transport natural gas from a future floating gas platform at the Khor al-Zubeir port to the national gas distribution grid near Basra. According to Oil Minister Hayan Abdulghani, the ministry plans to purchase and install a floating gas offloading platform to be able to import liquified natural gas from other producers to supply the country’s power plants. Construction on the 42 inch pipeline began in late February and is expected to be completed within 120 days, Abdulghani added. The pipeline construction comes amid mounting concerns in Iraq about an imminent revocation of U.S. sanctions waivers that have allowed Iraq to purchase natural gas and electricity from Iran. 

On March 5, a senior Iraqi Oil Ministry official said the ministry is engaged in negotiations with Halliburton on plans to develop oil resources at the Nahr Bin Omar oil field in Basra. The official, deputy Oil Minister for Extraction, Basim Khudeir, noted that the development of the field’s gas and oil resources are being handled separately, pointing out that a contract for gas development has already been awarded. In January 2024, the Oil Ministry signed a contract with the Halfaya Gas Co. (part of the controversial Raban Al Safina Group) to produce up to 300 million cubic feet per day (cf/d) of natural gas. The first stage of the gas development (targeting 150 million cf/d) was scheduled to be completed in 36 months. 

On March 6, a trilateral meeting between oil companies operating in the Kurdistan region and federal and KRG oil officials ended without an agreement on a mechanism to resume oil exports from Kurdistan via the Iraq-Turkey pipeline, which have been halted since March 2023. An Iraqi Oil Ministry official told Kurdistan24 on Thursday that “the problems remain unchanged, and no tangible progress was achieved during the negotiations.” A spokesman for the Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan (APIKUR), which represented the oil producers, said the companies demand more transparency in payments and to be treated the same as oil companies operating elsewhere in the country in terms of regular and predictable payments for the oil they produce. The disagreements over financial issues, reportedly including arrears owed to the oil companies from 2022-2023, continues to prevent the resumption of exports even as Turkey reiterated its readiness to receive the oil. “This pipeline has been ready for 1.5 years already. We want the Turkey-Iraq pipeline, especially the two pipelines of 650 km from our Silopi to Ceyhan to be used,” Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar told reporters on Sunday, adding that Ankara wants the pipeline to operate at maximum capacity. The deadlock comes two weeks after the KRG Ministry of Natural Resources said it reached an agreement with Iraq’s federal Oil Ministry to resume oil exports at an initial rate of 185,000 bpd. 

Sources cited in this section include: INA, Shafaq, ISHM archive, OPEC, al-Sumaria, Rudaw, Kurdistan24, Reuters. 

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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