Key Takeaways:

• POLITICS: Baghdad Says September 30 is the Starting Point, Not Deadline for Militia Disarmament – On August 26, Qasim al-Araji, a senior security adviser to Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, said that September 30—the date set for the departure of the international coalition—will be a starting point, rather than an endpoint, for the government’s plan to place all weapons under state control. In a televised interview, Araji said that “restricting weapons to the hands of the state is a purely Iraqi strategic decision,” and stressed the need for political parties to sever their organizational ties with Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) brigades. Araji said the disarmament process “will happen, but not through provocations,” noting that it will take time to ensure the rights of all stakeholders, including PMF fighters. Araji clarified that “September 30 is…not the deadline for handing over weapons,” appearing to diverge from previous remarks by the prime minister regarding the timeframe. He said that “regional conditions are behind some factions’ refusal to hand over weapons so far,” adding that dialogue with the factions remains ongoing. He stressed that the factions “are not enemies of the state,” and said confrontation with them is a “red line.” He concluded that the government needs to build greater trust with the factions to complete the requirements for disarmament and separation. In other developments, on August 22, the Coordination Framework (CF) announced that Shibl al-Zaidi, leader of the Khadamat coalition and Kataib al-Imam Ali militia, had formally joined the 13-member CF leadership body. A source from Khadamat attributed the move to Zaidi’s support for placing all weapons under state control. On August 25, the president of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council arrived in Tehran for talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior Iranian officials, including the head of Iran’s judiciary, the speaker of parliament, and the head of Iran’s National Security Council. It was Zaidan’s fourth visit to a regional capital in as many weeks, following earlier stops in Ankara, Riyadh, and Damascus. more…
• SECURITY & HUMANITARIAN: Jedaa Camp to Close by Year-End; Germany Concludes Its Military Advisory Mission – On August 25, Iraq’s Ministry of Migration and Displacement announced that al-Jedaa camp in Ninewa Province, which houses about 3,000 civilians with perceived ties to ISIS militants, will be closed by the end of this year. A ministry spokesman said the camp, which has served as a transition facility for families returning from Syria’s now-empty al-Hol camp, will be closed after the remaining families there are returned to their districts of origin. On August 26, Germany officially ended its military advisory mission in the Kurdistan Region after nearly a decade of supporting and training Peshmerga forces as part of the international coalition against ISIS. The mission’s end comes amid a gradual withdrawal of foreign forces and equipment as the international coalition in Iraq prepares to conclude its work on September 30. A smaller German team linked to the consulate in Erbil is expected to remain to continue military cooperation with the Peshmerga. In other developments, on August 24, security forces arrested a senior PMF General Staff official at his residence in Baghdad, along with three other PMF personnel. The official, later identified as Akram al-Temimi, was subsequently handed over to the PMF’s internal security department. This marked the second arrest and release of a senior PMF official by government forces within a week, following the August 17 arrest and release of Abbas Hussein al-Yaqoubi, a senior intelligence officer in Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba. On August 24, news reports said armed clashes erupted overnight between members of the Harki tribe and security forces near an oil refinery in the Khabat district, west of Erbil, the site of a previous standoff between the tribe and security forces. Erbil police said they made several arrests, without providing further details. more…
• ECONOMY & CLIMATE: Customs Revenue Jumped in July; Southern Oil Exports Rise Above 2 Million bpd – On August 23, the head of Iraq’s Border Ports Commission said the state collected more than IQD 2.5 trillion in customs revenue during the first seven months of 2026. Commission head Omar al-Waeli noted that July alone accounted for nearly IQD 560 billion, attributing the significant increase to operational reforms and efforts to maximize non-oil revenue. For comparison, revenue stood at IQD 2 trillion in 2024 and IQD 2.5 trillion in 2025. On August 24, Iraq’s Oil Ministry said oil production had recovered in recent days to more than 3 million bpd, while southern exports through the Gulf were averaging nearly 2.2 million bpd. The announcement comes amid reports that Iraq’s oil marketing company (SOMO) has started offering oil cargoes that can be loaded in the Gulf of Oman, south of the Strait of Hormuz, utilizing ship-to-ship transfers near the Omani coast, resulting in relatively lower costs and risks for buyers. Northern exports through Turkey, meanwhile, were averaging about 180,000 bpd. The figures point to a significant recovery in southern exports and a modest decline in northern exports. In July, exports averaged 1.354 million bpd, including 1.14 million bpd shipped from Basra and about 226,000 bpd exported via Turkey. Before the Iran war, Iraq produced about 4.5 million bpd and exported nearly 3.5 million bpd. In other developments, on August 21, Iraqi Finance Minister Falih al-Sari and Oil Minister Basim Khudeir arrived in Riyadh for talks with their Saudi counterparts, focusing on joint efforts to sustain energy supplies and strengthen energy security. On August 24, officials in the Kurdistan Regional Government said oil companies operating in the region had decided to resume production after a month-long pause prompted by renewed security concerns. more…

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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: Baghdad Says September 30 is the Starting Point, Not Deadline for Militia Disarmament

On August 22, the Coordination Framework (CF) announced that Shibl al-Zaidi, leader of the Khadamat coalition and Kataib al-Imam Ali militia, had formally joined the 13-member CF leadership body, INA reported. A source from Khadamat said Zaidi’s inclusion was linked to his position on placing all weapons under state control. His militia and Asaib Ahl al-Haq were among the first factions to announce initiatives to place their weapons under state control. A spokesman for the Nasr coalition, which is part of the CF, said Zaidi’s inclusion reflected his efforts to advance the weapons-control process and encourage other factions to participate. Other CF sources said the move did not mean the removal of CF member Ahmed al-Asadi, who is facing an arrest warrant on corruption charges, but instead expanded the leadership body from 13 to 14 members.

On August 25, the president of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) arrived in Tehran for talks on bilateral relations and legal cooperation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Justice Minister Amin Rahimi. Zaidan also met with the head of Iran’s judiciary, Gholam‑Hussein Mohseni‑Ejei, the speaker of parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and the head of Iran’s National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei. The meeting with Rezaei reportedly covered joint security agreements, intelligence sharing, and cooperation in counterterrorism and combating organized crime. Iranian press reports said Zaidan and Rezaei discussed Iran’s efforts to end the presence of Iranian Kurdish opposition groups inside Iraq, adding that Rezaei also emphasized that the United States “has no place in the future of Iraq and the region.” Zaidan’s trip to Iran is his fourth visit to a regional capital in as many weeks, following earlier stops in Ankara, Riyadh, and Damascus. Upon his return to Baghdad, Zaidan met with Joshua Harris, the U.S. chargé d’affaires, to discuss judicial measures concerning groups that possess weapons in violation of the law and constitution, and mechanisms to enforce the rule of law on everyone, according to an SJC statement.

On August 26, Qasim al-Araji, a senior security adviser to Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, said that September 30—the date set for the departure of the international coalition—will be a starting point, rather than an endpoint, for the government’s plan to place all weapons under state control. In a televised interview, Araji said that “restricting weapons to the hands of the state is a purely Iraqi strategic decision,” and emphasized that all parties must operate under state authority, respect Iraq’s sovereignty, and prevent any party from violating it. He also stressed the need for political parties to sever their organizational ties with Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) brigades. Araji said the disarmament process “will happen, but not through provocations,” noting that it will take time to ensure the rights of all stakeholders, including PMF fighters. Araji clarified that “September 30 is the date of the coalition’s departure, not the deadline for handing over weapons,” appearing to diverge from previous remarks by the prime minister regarding the timeframe. He said that “regional conditions are behind some factions’ refusal to hand over weapons so far,” adding that dialogue with the factions remains ongoing. He stressed that the factions “are not enemies of the state; they are part of it,” and said confrontation with them is a “red line.” Araji added that “the factions’ weapons will strengthen the state and will not be handed to any external party.” He concluded that the government needs to build greater trust with the factions to complete the requirements for disarmament and separation. Meanwhile, news reports citing informed Iraqi sources said the U.S. embassy dismissed as a “trick” a new counter-proposal to disarmament presented by factions that remain opposed to giving up their weapons. The proposal reportedly involves holding the factions’ weapons at formal PMF depots and the suspension of all military actions for two years while preserving their existing units and command structures. 

On August 27, Mazhar al-Naji, the representative of Iraq’s senior Shia religious authority in Basra, expressed support for disarming armed factions operating outside state control. Naji said such factions do not represent the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and do not possess a popular mandate to represent the country. The remarks mark the first clear message from senior Shia clergy on the disarmament debate since the formation of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s government and announcements by some militias that they plan to place their weapons under state control.

Sources cited in this section include: Rudaw, INA, ISHM archive, al-Ghad, +964, Baghdad Today, Ultra Iraq, New Sabah, al-Arabiya. 

SECURITY & HUMANITARIAN: Jedaa Camp to Close by Year-End; Germany Concludes Its Military Advisory Mission

On August 23, suspected ISIS militants attacked a Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) outpost in the Tuz Khormatu district of Salah ad-Din province, according to a statement by the PMF’s 63rd Brigade. The militants withdrew after clashing with fighters from the 63rd Brigade, and the attack was reportedly repulsed without casualties.

On August 24, news reports said that security forces arrested a senior PMF General Staff official from his residence in Baghdad, along with three other PMF personnel. The official, later identified as Akram al-Temimi (aka Abu Jafar), was subsequently handed over to the PMF’s internal security department, according to a PMF spokesman. This marked the second arrest of a senior PMF official by government forces within a week, following the August 17 arrest of Abbas Hussein al-Yaqoubi, a senior intelligence officer in Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba.

On August 24, news reports said armed clashes erupted overnight between members of the Harki tribe and security forces in the Khabat district, west of Erbil. Local sources said gunfire was heard near the Lanaz oil refinery, the site of a previous standoff between the tribe and security forces. Erbil police said they made several arrests following the “disturbances” in Karda-Rasha village, without providing further details. The clashes came less than two months after authorities arrested Khorshid and Haider Harki, two tribal leaders facing charges including murder, incitement of violence against security forces, and destruction of public and private property.

On August 25, Iraq’s Ministry of Migration and Displacement announced that al‑Jedaa camp in Ninewa province, which houses about 3,000 civilians with perceived ties to ISIS militants, will be closed by the end of this year. Ministry spokesman Ali Abbas said that “according to the established plan, al‑Jedaa camp will be closed at the end of this year after the remaining families there are returned to their original areas.” For several years, Jedaa has served as a transition facility for families returning from Syria’s now‑empty al‑Hol camp, subjecting them to security screening and social and psychological rehabilitation programs before reintegrating them into their home communities.

On August 26, Germany officially ended its military advisory mission in the Kurdistan region after nearly a decade of supporting and training Peshmerga forces as part of the international coalition against ISIS. The mission’s end comes amid a gradual withdrawal of foreign forces and equipment as the international coalition in Iraq prepares to conclude its work on September 30. A smaller German team linked to the consulate in Erbil is expected to remain to continue military cooperation with the Peshmerga.

On August 26, security sources in Anbar Province said that an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated against a vehicle belonging to pro-government tribal fighters while they were patrolling the Jazeera desert in western Anbar. The explosion heavily damaged the vehicle of the tribal unit’s commander, but there were no reports of fatalities or serious injuries.

On August 27, Iraq’s Interior Ministry said that two police officers, including a Baghdad police brigadier, were killed and four others wounded when they came under fire while conducting an operation to remove squatters and illegal structures in the Dora district of the capital. Security sources said civilians resisting evacuation and demolition orders opened fire on the officers with automatic weapons, causing the casualties. The ministry said it launched a large-scale operation to pursue and arrest the perpetrators.

On August 27, local sources in Erbil said that an unidentified drone was shot down in the Soran district. The crashed drone sparked a brush fire that firefighters were able to contain. There were no reports of casualties.

Sources cited in this section include: al-Sumaria, INA, Shafaq, ISHM archive, Bas News, Rudaw, Peregraf, Ultra Iraq.

ECONOMY & CLIMATE: Customs Revenue Jumped in July; Southern Oil Exports Rise Above 2 Million bpd

On August 21, Iraqi Finance Minister Falih al-Sari and Oil Minister Basim Khudeir arrived in Riyadh for talks with their Saudi counterparts, Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman and Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan, according to Iraq’s Oil Ministry. The Iraqi delegation also included other senior oil officials, including the deputy minister for upstream operations and the head of the State Organization for Marketing of Oil (SOMO). The two sides discussed bilateral cooperation in the electricity, gas, and oil sectors, including efforts to sustain energy supplies and strengthen energy security, according to brief Iraqi and Saudi statements, which provided no further details.

On August 23, the head of Iraq’s Border Ports Commission said the state collected more than IQD 2.5 trillion in customs revenue at various ports of entry during the first seven months of 2026. Commission head Omar al-Waeli noted that July alone accounted for nearly IQD 560 billion, calling it a significant increase that reflects the impact of operational reforms and greater efforts to maximize non-oil revenue for the state budget. In previous remarks in May, Waeli said customs revenue had been steadily increasing in recent years, rising from IQD 2 trillion in 2024 to IQD 2.5 trillion in 2025. Those figures marked significant increases from IQD 807 billion in 2022 and IQD 1.33 trillion reported in 2023.

On August 24, officials in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said oil companies operating in the region had decided to resume production after a month-long pause prompted by renewed security concerns. On Tuesday, Gulf Keystone Petroleum, which operates the Shaikhan field in Duhok, confirmed that production had resumed, with output recovering to an average of 40,000 barrels per day (bpd). The company noted that production at the field averaged just 14,600 bpd during the first half of the year due to security-related disruptions.

On August 24, an Iraqi Oil Ministry spokesman said oil production had recovered to above 3 million bpd, while southern exports through the Gulf were averaging nearly 2.2 million bpd. The announcement comes amid reports that Iraq’s oil marketing company (SOMO) has started offering oil cargoes that can be loaded in the Gulf of Oman south of the Strait of Hormuz utilizing ship to ship transfers near the Omani coast, resulting in relatively lower cost and risk for buyers.   Northern exports through Turkey, meanwhile, were averaging about 180,000 bpd. The figures point to a significant recovery in southern exports and a modest decline in northern exports. In July, exports averaged 1.354 million bpd, including 1.14 million bpd shipped from Basra and about 226,000 bpd exported via Turkey. Before the Iran war, Iraq produced about 4.5 million bpd and exported nearly 3.5 million bpd. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz forced Iraq to sharply reduce production, which fell below 1.5 million bpd in the early stages of the conflict, while exports hit their lowest levels in April at less than 10% of pre-war levels.  

Sources cited in this section include: Iraq’s Oil Ministry, INA, ISHM archive, al-Sumaria, Rudaw, WSJ, Shafaq.

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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