This week’s headlines: Waves of IDPs Flee Western Mosul as ISIS Resorts to Chemical Weapons ▪ Iraqi Security Forces Continue to Make Progress in Clearing Western Mosul; Baghdadi Reportedly Fled the City ▪ President Trump’s Executive Order Restricts Iraqi Refugee Admissions, Allows Iraqis to Apply for Visas ▪ Humanitarian Crisis Remains in Hawija as ISIS Militants Move Toward Hamrin Mountains ▪ Rojava Peshmerga, Yazidi Militias Clash in Sinjar ▪ Security Remains Tenuous on Diyala, Salah ad-Din Border ▪ Kirkuk, Baghdad Reach Agreement on Oil Transportation

This week’s headlines: Iraqi Security Forces Progress into Western Mosul, PMUs Near Tal Afar ▪ 4,000 IDPs Per Day Are Fleeing Western Mosul ▪ U.S. Commitment to Iraq Post-ISIS All But Certain ▪ Security Concerns Linger in Diyala, Salah ad-Din Provinces; PUK Sends Troops to Oil Facilities in Kirkuk ▪ Saudi Foreign Minister Makes Surprise Visit to Baghdad ▪ Minority Communities Receive Rebuilding Assistance; Iraqi Christians Relocate

This week’s headlines: Mosul Airport Cleared, Western Operations Move Forward as Violence Flares in the East ▪ Aid Delivery Resumes in East Mosul as Residents, Agencies Brace for West Operations ▪ PMUs Progress Toward Tal Afar, Continue to Interdict Supply Lines ▪ Defense Secretary Visits Baghdad; Iraq Vet McMaster Named National Security Adviser ▪ Coalition Airstrikes Continue in Anbar, Kirkuk, and Diyala Provinces; Turkey Targets PKK ▪ KRG Looks to Streamline Civil Service, Cut Down on Waste

This week’s headlines: Uptick in Violence, Bombings in Baghdad; Protests Turn Violent ▪ Aid to Eastern Mosul Restricted Due to Surge in Violence; Returnees Fearful ▪ Airstrikes Continue as Operations Into Western Mosul are Set to Begin ▪ Hawija Still Not a Priority as Residents Suffer Atrocities ▪ Security Situation in Diyala Province Remains Unstable ▪ Reconstruction Investment, Resources for Returnees Much Needed; Parliament Set to Question Displacement and Migration Minister

This week’s headlines: Abadi Hints He Knows where ISIS Leader is Hiding; Iraqi-U.S. Troop Relations May be Suffering from President Trump’s EO ▪ IDPs Continue to Come and Go From Eastern Mosul; Qayyarah Oil Fires Still Rage ▪ Security Force Shortages Slow Operations in Anbar as Diyala and Salah ad-Din Rely on PMUs ▪ Aid Agencies See Funding Shortfalls Amid Reports of Fraud, Misuse ▪ Iraq Looks to Diversify Economy with World Bank Support ▪ Protests in Baghdad Amid Efforts at Post-ISIS Reconciliation

This week’s headlines: President Trump’s Executive Order Banning Travel, Refugee Resettlement Condemned by Iraq ▪ PMUs Repositioning in Ninewa as Plans for Western Mosul Continue to Develop ▪ IDPs Continue to Repopulate Eastern Mosul as Conditions Worsen in the West ▪ Facing Outsized Need, Government and Aid Agencies Forced to Restrict Relief ▪ Diyala Province Sees Significant Uptick in Violence ▪ After Extended Vacancies, Defense and Interior Ministers Approved

This week’s headlines: Iraqi Security Forces Clear ISIS from Eastern Mosul, Prepare for Operations in the West ▪ IDPs Encouraged to Return to Eastern Mosul Despite Lingering Security Concerns ▪ Trump Administration Still Determining Iraq Policy, Prime Minister al-Abadi Responds ▪ PMUs Working to Clear Baghdad-Mosul Highway, Restrict Movements from Hawija ▪ Airstrikes Continue in Anbar Despite a Halt to Ground Ops

This week’s headlines: ISIS Brutality Worsens for Those in Western Mosul ▪ Security Forces Clear ISIS from Eastern Mosul, Prepare for Protracted Battle in the West ▪ Shakeups in Security Force Leadership in Western Anbar ▪ Conditions in Hawija Remain Dire, Though Military Operations May Begin Soon ▪ Elections Pushed to September ▪ Protesters Demand Better Security, Abadi Responds and Baghdad Governor Dismissed

Key Takeaways: ISF Makes Progress in Eastern Mosul, Plans for Crossing the Tigris – Iraqi Security Forces made slow but steady progress in the ongoing

A series of ISIS bombings in Baghdad left approximately 113 civilians dead on January 2, hours after French President Francois Hollande arrived in the capital to meet with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. The deadliest attack occurred at a busy market in Sadr City – an impoverished and predominantly Shia neighborhood of Baghdad that has witnessed deadly bombings and insurgency – killing an estimated 24 to 35 people and wounding 67.

Key Takeaways: Security Forces Face Mounting Challenges in Mosul – Operations to clear the city of Mosul of ISIS militants have slowed considerably over the

Key Takeaways: Humanitarian Conditions in Mosul are Worsening as More Civilians Flee – Iraqi Security Forces are assisting civilians attempting to flee from Mosul, representing