Key Takeaways:

• POLITICS: IHEC Disqualifies More Candidates; Government Halts PMF Law; Parliament Hastily Approves Sharia Rules for Personal Status Law – On August 24, Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) said 627 candidates have been disqualified from November’s election—more than 8% of the 7,440 total. The latest list included prominent independent lawmaker Sajjad Salim, who said IHEC acted on “malicious” accusations of Ba’athist ties filed by the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) security directorate. Meanwhile, election judges reversed an earlier decision to disqualify former Ninewa governor Najm al-Jubouri. On August 27, parliamentary sources said the government withdrew the controversial PMF law draft after Prime Minister Sudani told Coordination Framework (CF) leaders that pushing it risked harsh U.S. sanctions. The draft, which raised U.S. concerns about further empowering Iran-backed militias, would formalize the PMF leadership and departments as entities separate from the Defense and Interior Ministries. On August 28, parliament approved Sharia rules guiding implementation of January’s amendments to the Personal Status Law. The vote followed submission of the draft by the Shia Endowment office, but the text was not published or debated. A leaked copy of the 52-page document includes 337 articles on marriage, divorce, inheritance, wills, and agency. The CF-backed amendments have drawn strong opposition from secular parties and rights groups, who fear they could revive sectarian divisions, undermine women’s and children’s rights, and legalize child marriage. In other developments, on August 26, parliament approved 93 new ambassadors nominated by the government. Some lawmakers called the vote illegal and said the appointments reflected muhasasa (partisan apportionment) among major blocs. more…
• SECURITY & HUMANITARIAN: Senior Kurdish Politician Arrested Amid Deadly Clashes and Coup Allegations – On August 22, Sulaymaniyah security forces arrested Lahur Sheik Jangi Talabani, leader of the People’s Front Party, along with more than 150 associates. The arrest sparked intense clashes around the Lalazar Hotel, where Talabani was based. Security forces reportedly deployed armored vehicles, heavy machine guns, drones, and other weaponry. Five people were killed, including three security personnel, and more than a dozen wounded. Police said Talabani and his “armed” associates were planning attacks on government institutions, citing arrest warrants under counter-terrorism and national security laws. PUK sources claimed Lahur was plotting a coup against his cousin and rival, PUK leader Bafel Talabani. Officials later released televised “confessions” from detainees describing plans to assassinate Bafel with a sniper rifle, followed by a drone attack on his residence—allegedly after training in Ukraine. Lahur Talabani, a nephew of late President Jalal Talabani, was formerly co-president of the PUK before his 2021 fallout with Bafel. UNAMI urged authorities to respect “human rights and due process,” noting “disturbing footage” of detainees being mistreated after arrest. In other developments, on August 27, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced Iraq’s first five-year national migration plan, aiming to develop “safe, orderly, and regular pathways” for Iraqis. On August 28, civil defense officials in Duhok said a car explosion killed two people and injured two others in the village of Bastik. The exact cause of the explosion is not yet known, but damage suggested high explosives may have been involved. more…
• ECONOMY & CLIMATE: Corruption Probed in Southern Ports; Baghdad Releases June Salaries for Kurdistan – On August 24, the government said a special committee auditing oil berth contracts at Iraq’s southern ports found signs of corruption in how the contracts were awarded and executed. The report cited “weak economic viability” and unfair terms favoring certain companies over the state-owned Ports Company. The findings were referred to the Integrity Commission. Iraq’s southern ports have faced scrutiny over suspected oil smuggling, including operations linked to Iran’s sanctions evasion. On August 26, the government instructed the Finance Ministry to release funds for June salaries of Kurdistan’s public employees, conditional on the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) remitting IQD 120 billion (~$91 million) in non-oil revenues. The KRG confirmed payment on Thursday. The exchange marks partial adherence to the July Baghdad–Erbil budget deal, though major issues remain unresolved, including resumption of Kurdistan oil exports through Iraq’s SOMO. In other developments, on August 23, Hunt Oil said it resumed operations at the Ain Sifni oil field in Kurdistan, nearly five weeks after drone attacks forced shutdowns across the region’s oil sector. 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: IHEC Disqualifies More Candidates; Government Halts PMF Law; Parliament Hastily Approves Sharia Rules for Personal Status Law

On August 24, Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) said that the number of candidates who have been disqualified from competing in the next parliamentary election in November has increased to 627. In a statement, the Commission explained that of the total, 290 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 163 candidates who were replaced on the request of their own parties. There were also 34 candidates who got disqualified for failing to provide proof of education documents. Those disqualified represent more than 8% of the total pool of candidates, which includes 7,440 individuals. The latest list of disqualified candidates notably included independent lawmaker Sajjad Salim, who is running as part of the al-Badeel (Alternative) coalition. In a post on social media, Salim said the disqualification was based on malicious accusations of being a Ba’ath Party sympathizer filed by the security directorate of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). Meanwhile, election judges reversed an earlier decision by IHEC to disqualify former Ninewa governor Najm al-Jubouri.

On August 26, parliament voted to approve the appointment of 93 new ambassadors that were nominated by the government to represent Iraq in foreign capitals. Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani welcomed the vote, praising it as a move that will end a diplomatic vacuum that has lasted since 2009 and left many diplomatic posts vacant. Some lawmakers raised objections about the vote, arguing that it reflected the practice of muhasasa (partisan apportionment) among the major blocs in parliament. Lawmaker Haider al-Salami claimed the list of new ambassadors (all 93 names can be seen here) includes many unqualified individuals and more political appointees from outside the diplomatic service than is allowed by law. Lawmaker Mohammed al-Khafaji said the vote itself was legally problematic, calling it “a shameful abuse of power.” According to Khafaji, the list of 93 ambassadors was approved en masse without giving lawmakers a chance to review the nominated envoys’ resumes and qualifications one at a time. Other lawmakers argued that parliament lacked a quorum when the vote was called. According to representative Amir Abduljabbar, about 30 lawmakers left the session, which was initially convened with 169 present lawmakers, to protest the speaker’s decision to call an unscheduled vote on the list. The speaker, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, reportedly steamrolled the opposition and proceeded with the vote and declared the list approved despite the broken quorum. 

On August 27, parliamentary sources said the Iraqi government has decided to recall a draft law intended to regulate the structure and functions of the Popular Mobilization Committee (PMC) that is in charge of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) paramilitaries. The move came after Prime Minister Sudani told a meeting of Coordination Framework (CF) leaders that pushing the controversial legislation could expose Iraq to harsh U.S. sanctions and punitive measures, according to Ibrahim al-Dulaimi, an advisor to speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani. Hussein al-Battat, a lawmaker from the State of Law coalition, part of CF, appeared to confirm this, stating that the government withdrew the bill because of “pressures applied on the government by some countries” to block the law’s passage. Last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned Prime Minister Sudani against allowing the law to pass. Rubio emphasized that there were “serious U.S. concerns” about the PMF bill, and warned that its passage would institutionalize Iranian influence and armed groups undermining Iraqi sovereignty. The conversation came after parliamentary blocs allied with PMF factions succeeded – despite a walkout by Sunni and Kurdish blocs – in pushing the bill through a second reading in parliament, making it ready for a vote at any future session. The draft law, which is meant to replace the original PMC Law No. 40 of 2016, formally establishes the roles and functions of the PMC leadership and associated departments as separate entities from the Defense and Interior Ministries. It also provides for creating a separate military academy to train PMF officers.  

On August 28, Iraq’s parliament voted to approve a set of Sharia law rules that will guide the implementation of the controversial Personal Status Law amendments that parliament approved in January. The vote, in a session where only 167 lawmakers were present, came just a day after the Shia Endowment office, which was tasked with writing the rules, said that it had submitted its draft to parliament for ratification. The amendments to the Personal Status Law no.188 of 1959 tasked Shia religious scholars with drafting the guidelines to be used by members of Iraq’s Shia Muslim community to decide family matters, including marriage, divorce, inheritance, and child custody. The contents of the newly drafted guidelines have not been formally published yet, and parliament’s brief announcement of the vote did not indicate that the proposed rules were put to a debate. Copies of the rules, however, were posted online by a member of parliament’s legal committee. The 52 page document includes 337 articles organized into several sections covering issues related to marriage, divorce, inheritance, wills, and agency.   The Law 188 amendments, backed by the Coordination Framework, raised strong opposition from secular parties and rights groups who fear they could revive sectarian divisions, undermine child and women rights, and legalize child marriage. 

Sources cited in this section include: PUKMedia, al-Sumaria, Rudaw, ISHM archive, al-Mada, Iraq Observer, Ultra Iraq, Shafaq, Iraq’s parliament, al-Aalem al-Jadeed, HRW.

SECURITY & HUMANITARIAN: Senior Kurdish Politician Arrested Amid Deadly Clashes and Coup Allegations

On August 22, security forces in Sulaymaniyah arrested Lahur Sheik Jangi Talabani, who leads the People’s Front Party, and two of his brothers, along with dozens of his associates. The arrest sparked intense armed clashes around the Lalazar Hotel, where Talabani and his allies were based, in which security forces reportedly used armored vehicles, heavy machine guns, drones, and other heavy weaponry. Five people were killed in the clashes: three members of the security forces and two of Talabani’s associates, and more than a dozen were injured. A spokesman for the Sulaymaniyah police said more than 150 of Talabani’s “armed” associates were arrested during the operation. The police spokesman claimed that Talabani and his associates were planning attacks on government institutions in the city and were planning to bring in additional gunmen into Sulaymaniyah. Court officials in Sulaymaniyah said Lahur Talabani and his associates had arrest warrants based on Iraq’s counter-terrorism law and article 56 of the Iraqi penal code concerning threats to national security. Sources from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) which rules Sulaymaniyah said Lahur Talabani was planning a coup against PUK leader Bafel Talabani. On Wednesday, security officials shared more details of the alleged plot based on televised confessions of some of Lahur’s associates. One of the suspects mentioned in his confession that he was tasked with using a sniper rifle to assassinate PUK leader Bafel Talabani. The confessions described plans for a follow up attack on Bafel’s residence using drones for which the group allegedly had received training in Ukraine. Lahur Talabani is a nephew of late President Jalal Talabani and a former co-president of the PUK. In July 2021, he stepped down as PUK co-president after the party claimed it uncovered an alleged spy working for Lahur on a “plot to strike [the PUK’s] strategic interests.” At the time, Bafel Talabani accused Lahur of using his party position for “personal gain, including smuggling, extortion, threats, and spying.” Some PUK officials referred to the conflict between the two cousins as a family feud. Talabani was a key commander of the PUK’s Zanyari intelligence agency and was considered an important partner of the US-led coalition in the fight to defeat ISIS. The UN Assistance Mission to Iraq (UNAMI) has called on authorities in Sulaymaniyah to respect “human rights and due process” noting the presence of “disturbing footage of detainees being mistreated after their arrest” following the clashes. 

On August 23, the Security Media Cell reported that Iraqi F-16 jets struck a hideout used by ISIS militants in the Wadi al-Shay region in eastern Salah ad-Din province. The strike killed all members of the ISIS cell who were at the site and destroyed various weapons, supplies, and communications equipment, the report said without offering specifics about ISIS casualties. 

On August 26, security sources in Basra said that a small explosive device detonated inside the offices of a state-owned company in the province. The explosion at the Ibn Majid company occurred while the director general of the heavy industry company was touring the building, the sources said. The blast appears to have started a sizable fire inside the building, footage from the site shows, but there were no reports of casualties. 

On August 27, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that Iraq has launched its first national plan on migration, which aims to develop “safe, orderly and regular migration pathways” for Iraqis. The plan, which covers the five-year period 2025 – 2030, aims to create “opportunities for work, education and family reunification, while also strengthening Iraq’s overall migration governance and positioning migration as a driver of stability and development, IOM said in a statement. The plan involves building stronger ties and coordination with the country’s private sector. Developed with support from IOM and the Dutch government, the plan “emphasizes data-driven decision-making, and recognizes migration as a tool for national development and stability,” the statement continued. While nearly two million Iraqis live abroad, the country hosts hundreds of thousands of foreign migrant workers. 

On August 28, civil defense officials in Duhok province said that a car explosion killed two people and injured two more in the village of Bastik, near the Zakho district. The sources said the cause of the explosion remains unknown, but noted that the vehicle had recently been modified to run on natural gas. Footage of the destroyed, and overturned, vehicle and extensive damage to an adjacent home raise the possibility that high explosives were involved.   

On August 28, Iraqi authorities began the process of repatriating 850 Iraqi nationals comprising 232 households from al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria, the camp’s management said. Repatriated families, which have perceived ties to ISIS, are first taken to al-Amal Center (also known as al-Jedaa camp) in Ninewa to undergo vetting and rehabilitation before they can return to their home districts. Overall, this is the 29th group of al-Hol residents to return to Iraq as part of a program to repatriate all Iraqi nationals from the camp, and the 12th this year, according to the camp officials. Last month, Iraqi officials said that a total of approximately 16,000 Iraqis had been returned from al-Hol, with plans to repatriate all Iraqis who are still in the camp by the end of the year. 

Sources cited in this section include: INA, Rudaw, Baghdad Today, NRT, PUKMedia, ISHM archive, UNAMI, AP, al-SUmaria, Shafaq, Reliefweb, Kurdistan24. 

ECONOMY & CLIMATE: Corruption Probed in Southern Ports; Baghdad Releases June Salaries for Kurdistan

On August 23, a spokesperson for Hunt Oil told Reuters the company had resumed operations at the Ain Sifni oil field in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, nearly five weeks after drone attacks targeted several oil fields in the region and forced operators to suspend activities. Hunt Oil expects to restore production to pre-attack levels by the end of this month, the spokesperson added.

On August 24, the Iraqi government said that a special committee auditing contracts for the joint operation of oil berths at Iraq’s southern ports found signs of corruption in the awarding and execution of these contracts. A report by the committee also noted that the contracts had “weak economic viability, and unfairness in the share allocated to the Ports Company—favoring the interests of certain companies at the expense of public interest,” a statement by Prime Minister Sudani’s office said. As a result, the government will refer the report to the Integrity Commission for further investigation to identify those responsible, the statement added. Iraq’s southern ports have come under increased scrutiny amid rising concerns about oil smuggling operations, including those tied to Iran’s efforts to evade sanctions.  

On August 26, the Iraq government instructed the Finance Ministry the funds required to pay the salaries of public sector employees in the Kurdistan region for the month of June. The actual payment is contingent on the Kurdistan regional government (KRG) sending the federal government a sum of IQD 120 billion (approximately $91 million) as remittance for non-petroleum revenue generated during the corresponding month. This condition was reportedly met on Thursday, when the KRG Finance Ministry deposited the required amount in the Central Bank account of the federal Finance Ministry. The exchange of payments is a positive sign of at least partial mutual adherence to the budget agreement that Baghdad and Erbil announced in July. In a sign of lingering obstacles to the agreement’s full implementation, the latest transactions do not mention progress on the thorny issue of resuming oil exports from the Kurdistan region through Iraq’s Oil Marketing Company (SOMO).

Sources cited in this section include: Reuters, Hunt Oil, ISHM archives, Iraqi PM’s office, New Arab, Iraq Observer.

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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