Key Takeaways:

• POLITICS: Kurdistan Parliament to Convene in September; Another Former Governor Among Hundreds Disqualified by IHEC – On August 14, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) issued a joint statement saying they had agreed to work together to convene the regional parliament, which has been virtually idle since last year’s legislative election, within the next month. The two parties, whose leaders met in Erbil, pledged to make progress toward forming the next cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). On August 19, a spokesman for Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) said that a total of 542 candidates had been disqualified from competing in the November parliamentary election. Of these, 253 were disqualified over suspected ties to the Ba’ath Party, while 119 were disqualified for having criminal records or for fraud. A review of the lists shows candidates from across the political spectrum, including Coordination Framework factions, major Sunni and Kurdish parties, and parties representing Iraq’s minority communities. At least three former governors (Ninewa, Salah ad-Din, and Kirkuk) and one former cabinet minister are among those disqualified so far. In other developments, on August 20, Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court struck down an amendment to the Iraqi Passport Law that parliament passed in January. The amendment drew notoriety because it included a provision entitling thousands of senior and mid-level government officials, along with their family members, to obtain and keep diplomatic passports for life. more…
• SECURITY & HUMANITARIAN: Iraq Begins Excavating Mass Grave Site; Senior ISIS Militant Killed; UNAMI Voices Concern Over Journalist’s Prison Sentence – On August 17, authorities in Ninewa province began excavations at a suspected mass grave site about 12 miles outside Mosul, where ISIS may have buried up to 20,000 of its victims during its occupation of the province a decade ago. In addition to local authorities, the work involves the judiciary, forensic investigators, the Martyrs’ Foundation, and the Directorate of Mass Graves. Signs of mass atrocities were found almost immediately at the site, known as al-Khasfa (the Sinkhole), with crews recovering the remains of several victims who had been blindfolded, according to a statement by the local government. On August 20, Iraqi security sources said that a senior ISIS commander named Salah Numan Abd Nayif al-Jubouri was killed in an operation by U.S. special forces in the town of Atme in Syria’s Idlib province. Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service contributed intelligence that led to locating Jubouri, who was in charge of ISIS finances in Iraq and was involved in trafficking militants and procuring drones for the group, the sources added. On August 21, the UN Assistance Mission to Iraq (UNAMI) expressed concern after an Erbil court sentenced journalist Shirwan Shirwani to four and a half years in prison. UNAMI said the sentence was “disproportionate and its application arbitrary.” Shirwani, who had published content critical of KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, was arrested nearly five years ago, on October 8, 2020. more…
• ECONOMY & CLIMATE: Chevron to Develop Several of Iraq’s Oil Fields; Sea of Najaf Vanishes Amid Worsening Water Shortage – On August 19, Iraq’s Oil Ministry signed an agreement in principle with Chevron to explore for oil in four blocks in Dhi-Qar province and to develop “other producing oil fields and exploration blocks,” including the Balad field in Salah ad-Din province. The ministry did not provide additional details about the scope, timeline, or value of the agreement. On the same day, environmental officials in Najaf province reported that the Sea of Najaf, a 100-square-kilometer body of water just outside Najaf City, has nearly dried up. They attributed the situation to a lack of water in the streams that feed the lake, which depends on a mix of wells, agricultural drainage water, and seasonal floodwater flowing through wadis from Iraq’s western plateau. The news comes amid rising concerns about worsening water shortages. This week, officials in Iraq’s Water Resources Ministry reported that water reserves have dropped to just 8% of total storage capacity in the country’s dams and reservoirs. In other developments, on August 21, a Turkish powership with a capacity of 125 megawatts arrived at the port of Umm Qasr in Basra. A second powership is expected within a month under a contract with a Turkish company, part of Baghdad’s efforts to find short-term solutions to the country’s power shortages. On August 21, Norwegian oil company DNO said that oil production had resumed from the Tawke and Peshkabir fields it operates in the Kurdistan region, at a combined rate of 55,000 bpd. Production had been halted after drone attacks targeted the two fields, along with several others in the region, in mid-July. 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: Kurdistan Parliament to Convene in September; Another Former Governor Among Hundreds Disqualified by IHEC

On August 14, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) issued a joint statement saying that they agreed to work together to convene the regional parliament, which has been virtually idle since last year’s legislative election, within the next month. The two parties, whose leaders met in Erbil, said they would seek to make progress towards forming the next cabinet of the Kurdistan regional government (KRG). The KDP and PUK have made very little progress on government formation following last October’s legislative election despite holding several meetings this year that were aimed at shaping their next power sharing deal.

On August 19, a spokesman for Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) said that a total of 542 candidates have been disqualified from competing in the next parliamentary election in November. The spokesman explained that of the total, 253 candidates were disqualified over suspected ties to the Ba’ath Party, while 119 were disqualified for having criminal records, because they committed fraud, or on instructions from the Supreme Judicial Council. The list also includes 160 candidates who were replaced on the request of their own parties. A quick review of the lists shows they include candidates from across the political spectrum, including Coordination Framework factions, major Sunni and Kurdish parties, and parties representing Iraq’s various minority communities. At least three former governors (Ninewa, Salah ad-Din, and Kirkuk) and one former cabinet minister are among those disqualified so far. On Thursday, IHEC released another list with the names of 32 additional disqualified candidates, bringing the total to more than 570, representing about 6% of the nearly 8,000 registered candidates. Also on Thursday, IHEC said it conducted a successful simulation to test various electronic systems, including those used for biometric voter identification, ballot scanning, and data transmission. 

On August 20, Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court (FSC) struck down an amendment to the Iraqi Passport Law that parliament passed in January. The amendment gained notoriety because it included a provision that entitles thousands of senior and mid-level government officials, along with their family members, to obtain and keep diplomatic service passports for life. In a statement, the FSC said it found the amendment in violation of several constitutional articles that guarantee equal opportunity and equal treatment under the law, specifically 14, 16, 47, and 80. The statement added that the ruling was in response to two separate cases filed against the amendment by the Ministers of Interior and Foreign Affairs. 

Sources cited in this section include: PUKMedia, ISHM archive, INA, al-Aalem al-Jadeed, al-Sumaria, al-Mada, Iraq’s parliament. 

SECURITY & HUMANITARIAN: Iraq Begins Excavating Mass Grave Site; Senior ISIS Militant Killed; UNAMI Voices Concern Over Journalist’s Prison Sentence

On August 16, Iraq’s Joint Operations Command (JOC) said that F-16 jets conducted two airstrikes against ISIS hideouts in Salah ad-Din and Kirkuk provinces. The Salah ad-Din airstrike, conducted on August 12, killed at least three ISIS militants based on a post-strike search by ground troops, a subsequent statement by military sources said. The military has yet to release details about the outcome of the Kirkuk strike, which took place on August 14.

On August 17, the local government in Ninewa province said that authorities have begun excavations at a suspected mass grave site about 12 miles outside of Mosul, where ISIS may have buried up to 20,000 of its victims during its occupation of the province a decade ago. In addition to local authorities, the work involves the judiciary, forensic investigators, the country’s Martyrs’ Foundation, and the directorate of mass graves. Signs of mass atrocities were found almost immediately at the site, known as al-Khasfa (the Sinkhole), with crews recovering the remains of several victims who had been blindfolded, according to a statement by the local government. The federal government pledged to support “all technical and legal efforts needed to identify the victims and provide services to their loved ones…and document the heinous crimes” of ISIS, government spokesman Basim al-Awadi told reporters on Monday.  

On August 20, Iraqi security sources said that a senior ISIS commander named Salah Numan Abd Nayif al-Jubouri was killed in an operation by U.S. special forces in the town of Atme in Syria’s Idlib province. Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service contributed intelligence that led to the location of Jubouri, who was in charge of ISIS finances in Iraq and was involved in trafficking militants and procuring drones for the terrorist group, the sources added. The U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition has yet to release any statements about an operation in that part of Syria.

On August 21, the UN Assistance Mission to Iraq (UNAMI) expressed concerns after an Erbil court sentenced a journalist to four and a half years in prison. In a statement, UNAMI said the prison sentence handed down to the journalist, Shirwan Shirwani, was “disproportionate and its application arbitrary,” noting that Shirwani had denied the charges. UNAMI also argued that it was unclear as to what “aggravating circumstances” the court had taken into account when issuing the sentence, adding that it will continue to monitor the case. Shirwani, who had published content critical of KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, was arrested nearly five years ago on October 8, 2020.

Sources cited in this section include: INA, al-Sumaria, Ultra Iraq, AP, Shafaq, Reliefweb, CPJ, ISHM archive. 

ECONOMY & CLIMATE: Chevron to Develop Several of Iraq’s Oil Fields; Sea of Najaf Vanishes Amid Worsening Water Shortage

On August 17, Jordanian energy officials said that Jordan and Iraq have renewed their existing electricity supply agreement for an additional year. The power supply agreement, which was initiated in March of last year, was launched with an initial capacity to supply Iraq’s grid with 40 megawatts of electricity delivered from Jordan to Iraq’s desert town of Rutba via a 132 kilovolt transmission line. Last month, the General Manager of  Jordan’s National Electric Power Company (NEPCO) said a plan to increase the amount of power supplied to Iraq to 150 megawatts by the end of August was “moving as per schedule” adding that “supplies could be gradually increased to 500 MW.” 

On August 19, Iraq’s Oil Ministry signed an agreement in principle with U.S. energy company Chevron to explore for oil in several prospective blocks and to develop some of the country’s producing oil fields. A statement by the Oil Ministry said the agreement covers four exploration blocks in Dhi-Qar province, as well as the development of the Balad oil field in Salah ad-Din province, along with “other producing oil fields and exploration blocks.” The statement didn’t provide additional details about the scope, timeline, or anticipated value of the agreement. In 2021, Baghdad had previously authorized its state-owned oil companies to open negotiations with Chevron over the development of oilfields in Dhi-Qar. At the time, Iraqi oil officials said the negotiations targeted large-scale oil, gas, and water projects, with the goal of producing 600,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) within seven years.

On August 19, environmental officials in Iraq’s Najaf province reported that the Sea of Najaf, a 40,000 dunam (100 square kilometers) body of water located to the west of Najaf City, has nearly dried up in recent weeks. The officials attributed the situation to lack of water in the streams that feed the lake, which depends on an assortment of wells, agricultural drainage water, and flood water flowing through wadis stretching west into Iraq’s western plateau. According to Jamal Abd Zaid, the director of Najaf’s environment directorate, the extensive drought is the first of its kind in many years, and has caused a near-complete disappearance of water in the lake. Images from the site show that all that remains of the Sea of Najaf – which officials once sought to turn into a natural resort – are some shallow puddles of water, with mounds of salt starting to emerge on adjacent higher ground. In related news, officials in Iraq’s Water Resources Ministry reported that the country’s water reserves have dropped to just 8% of total storage capacity in the country’s various dams and reservoirs. 

On August 20, Iraq’s state-owned Rasheed Bank said it will begin offering low-interest loans for customers seeking to purchase and install solar power systems. The bank will offer the loans, which will be capped at IQD 30 million (approximately $21,500), at an interest rate of 3% in an effort to encourage the public to invest in renewable energy sources and reduce reliance on the grid, the bank said in a statement. The initiative is supported by Iraq’s Central Bank, and interested customers can apply for the loans online through the Ur platform, the statement added.

On August 21, a Turkish powership with a capacity to produce 125 megawatts of electricity arrived at the port of Umm Qasr in Basra, an Iraqi official told Shafaq. A second powership with the same capacity is expected to arrive within a month under the contract between Iraq and the Turkish company operating the powerships, the official added. The contract is part of Baghdad’s efforts to find short term solutions to the country’s power shortages, the official explained. 

On August 21, Norwegian oil company DNO said that oil production resumed from the Tawke and Peshkabir oil fields it operates in the Kurdistan region at a combined rate of 55,000 bpd. The resumption of operations comes after a weeks-long halt made in response to drone attacks that targeted the two fields along with several others in the Kurdistan region in mid-July. The fields produced a combined average of approximately 100,000 bpd before the strikes forced the company to suspend production. 

Sources cited in this section include: Jordan News, VOA, Jordan Times, al-Sumaria, INA, Iraq’s Oil Ministry, Reuters, Ultra Iraq, Shafaq, Kurdistan24, ISHM archive. 

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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