Clashes In Baghdad As People Gather To Mark Anniversary Of Protest Movement

(Shafaq News)

On October 1 around 100 people showed up in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square to mark the four year anniversary of the protest movement. Some people called for the release of their relatives from prison who have been incarcerated for years. Younger people marched and clashed with the security forces. Every year since 2019 there have been similar observances.

Review A Stranger in Your Own City, Travels in the Middle East’s Long War

Abdul-Ahad, Ghaith, A Stranger in Your Own City, Travels in the Middle East’s Long War, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2023

 

A Stranger in Your Own City, Travels in the Middle East’s Long War by journalist Ghaith Abdul-Ahad is an engaging story about him growing up in Baghdad and then experiencing the aftermath of the U.S. invasion. It’s a tale of a nation beset by problems from the 1990s sanctions that impoverished most to the exiles that created a new ethnosectarian political system that was then used it to justify violence. The new elite ended up killing its youth in the street for protesting against corruption. It’s an important addition to the cannon because it not only includes his own recollections of this period but also many Iraqi civilians, soldiers and officials when most books are by and about Westerners.

Marches Commemorate Anniversary Of Iraq’s Protest Movement

(Al Mirbad)

October 25 saw marches in four provinces to mark the two-year anniversary of the protest movement in Iraq. In Wasit and Maysan people demanded that the killers of activists be brought to justice. In Basra demonstrators called for the murderers of two journalists be found and prosecuted. Finally, in Dhi Qar there was a commemoration ceremony.

Kazemi Latest Iraqi PM To Order The Close Of All Displaced Camps

(AP)

Prime Minister Mustafa Kazemi has decided that he will end the displacement crisis in Iraq by closing down all the camps and declaring the problem solved. This has been the wish of all the previous premiers since Nouri al-Maliki. None of them seemed to actually care about the displaced and none of them succeeded either, something Kazemi doesn’t appear to have taken to heart.

UN Report On Violence Against Iraqi Protesters

(UN)

The United Nations recently released a report about the violence Iraq’s protest movement has faced. It covered the period from October 2019 when demonstrations started up to April 2020. The U.N. provided no new details but did give some raw data on the number of attacks that the country’s activists have faced over the last few months.

Iraq Cuts Off Budget Payments To Kurdistan Once More

With Iraq’s oil dependent economy falling apart during the coronavirus global shut down Baghdad has decided to cut off monthly budget payments to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). This is a means to save money as the central government is not earning enough to pay its most basic bills and will have a huge impact upon the Kurds.

Resigned PM Abdul Mahdi Doesn’t Accept Units Leaving Hashd Commission

In March 2020 four pro-Najaf brigades announced that they were leaving the Hashd Commission to protest their mistreatment by the Iran aligned groups that controlled it. In April however, retired Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi told the media that he had not accepted their move.

Oil Prices Collapse And Iraq Has No Answers

Oil prices have collapsed due to a dispute between Russia and Saudi Arabia and the drop in demand due to the coronavirus. That will devastate Iraq which is the most oil dependent country in the world. Around 90% of its revenue comes from its petroleum sales. This couldn’t come at a worse time as the government is paralyzed because it has been unable to pick a new prime minister. Even if that wasn’t happening Baghdad has never planned for the ups and downs in the energy market increasing its budget every year prices stay high and then falling into debt and deficits when they collapse. The value of petroleum is so low however that it threatens the very state itself.

Renewed Civil Disobedience As Govt Misses Protest Deadline For Reforms

(AP)

The Iraqi government’s failure to meet a deadline set by the protest movement to carry out reforms such as holding new elections has led to renew demonstrations and violence across central and southern Iraq.

US and Iraq Disagree Over Restarting Anti-IS Operations

US and Iraqi soldiers (US Army National Guard)

The New York Times reported that the U.S. military restarted working with the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) against the Islamic State on January 15. This collaboration had been suspended for ten days after Washington killed Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Force commander General Qasim Suleimani and deputy head of Hashd Commission Abu Muhandis. The Times said it didn’t know whether the Iraqi government had approved such operations. Retired Prime Minister Abdul Mahdi’s military spokesman General Abdul Karim Khalaf was quick to point out that Baghdad had not okayed the ISF working with the U.S. led Coalition again. Premier Abdul Mahdi is attempting to stay in office based upon his demand that the American forces leave Iraq. The Iraqi political class is as divided as ever and usually take months to agree upon a new PM. Some factions have therefore decided that it is easier to skip this entire process and simply put Abdul Mahdi back in office. He therefore has to maintain his opposition to the Americans, which is why his spokesman said there is no authorization for the Coalition to resume its work in Iraq.

Rumors Of Abdul Mahdi Staying On As Iraq’s PM

(Al Jazeera)

At the very end of November 2019 Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi resigned from office. That led to political deadlock as the Binna bloc led by Badr’s Hadi Amiri proposed several candidates backed by Iran only to have President Barham Salah reject them fearing that they would increase popular protests against the government. Iraq’s ruling parties usually take months to agree upon a new government, so this process was only in its infancy. Iran and Abdul Mahdi had plans of their own.

US Increases Threats Against Iraq If It Forces US Troops To Leave

(Factbase)

The Trump administration is upping the ante against withdrawing its troops from Iraq by issuing more threats against Baghdad including sanctions, travel bans, and freezing its oil revenues.

Iraq and U.S. Struggling With American Military Withdrawal

Def Sec Esper (left) and Joint Chiefs head Gen Milley (right) denied that the US was withdrawing from Iraq (Getty Images0

Iraq and the United States took another move towards separation. After the Iraqi parliament voted on a resolution demanding that foreign forces leave the country Washington and Baghdad took steps to make that happen with some obfuscation and threats thrown in for good measure. 

Iran’s Political Plan Unfolding In Iraq

Iraq's parliament voted on a resolution to expel U.S. forces from the country (NINA)

Iran’s plan in Iraq was to re-focus the political class and the media narrative on a topic of its choosing rather than the protests, which were not only demanding better governance but an end to Iranian influence. Tehran is largely succeeding in its strategy.

How Will The Deaths Of General Suleimani and Abu Muhandis Affect Iraq? Comments by the Washington Institute’s Mike Knights

(Al Forat)

The deaths of Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Force Commander General Qasim Suleimani and the deputy head of the Hashd Commission and Kataib Hezbollah leader Abu Muhandis will have tremendous implications in Iraq. Both were intimately involved in Iraqi politics and security. To give his thoughts on this momentous event is Michael Knights of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He can be followed on Twitter @Mikeknightsiraq.

Iraq’s President Threatens To Resign Over Unpopular Nominations For Premier

Protest in southern Iraq against nomination of Basra Gov Eidani for PM (Al Mirbad)

The pro-Iran Bina bloc headed by the Badr Organization’s Hadi Amiri has proposed one unpopular candidate for premier after another. President Barham Salah has rejected both fearing that they would only inflame the street more. In protest he offered his resignation claiming that he’s gotten contradictory information about which coalition represents the largest bloc in parliament, and thus has the right to name the next prime minister.

US Sanctions Iraqi Businessman Khanjar For Bribery And Supporting Iran

US sanctioned businessman Khamis al-Khanjar for bribing politicians and supporting Iran (Reuters)

On December 6 the U.S. Treasury Department issued a new round of sanctions against Iraqis. That included millionaire businessman Khamis al-Khanjar. The Americans charged him with bribing Iraqi politicians to join his Axis List and supporting Iran. Khanjar has been a political chameleon in Iraq emerging as a major backer of Sunni politicians especially the Nujafis from Mosul before switching to supporting pro-Iran lists such as Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law in 2019.

Pro-Iran Hashd Carry Out Another More Deadly Attack Upon Baghdad Protesters

Gunmen left behind ammo boxes with Ministry of Sepah on them an Iranian govt agency from the Iran-Iraq War pointing to pro-Iran Hashd being behind the shootings at Khalani Sq, Baghdad (IraqiRevolution)

After the December 5 stabbing of 20 protesters in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square protest site, pro-Iran Hashd showed up at neighboring Khalani Square on December 6 and shot into the crowd. 19 people were killed and more than 70 wounded. A garage in the square was also set on fire, and the power was cut during the attack. Ammunition boxes left behind by the attackers had “Ministry of Sepah” on them. Aram Shabanian of the Fulda Gap blog noted on Twitter that the Ministry of Sepah was an Iranian government agency that supplied the Iranian Revolutionary Guard with arms and supplies during the Iran-Iraq War pointing to pro-Tehran groups being behind the assault.

Iraqi Forces Kidnapping Protesters In Intimidation Campaign

Mary Mohammed who was disappeared by the security forces in Baghdad and released a week later (Twitter)

On November 19, Iraq’s Human Rights Commission called on Prime Minister Abdul Mahdi as commander and chief to order the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) to stop the abduction and disappearance of activists and journalists. Since the start of November every week there is a story of someone involved in the protest movement disappearing. Of course, those are the ones lucky enough to get in the media. There are plenty more that don’t get any press and whose fate is unknown. This is part of Baghdad’s attempt to intimidate the demonstrators in the hopes that they will eventually stop.

Iraq’s Defense Minister Tried To Deny Security Forces Behind Deaths Of Protesters

(Twitter)

Iraq’s Defense Minister Najah al-Shammari recently gave an interview with France 24. That made headlines because he said that the tear gas canisters used against the protests in Iraq were not bought by the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF). That missed his main comment however, which was the police and army were not behind the shooting of demonstrators. This was the latest attempt by the government to deny responsibility for the 300 plus people that have been killed since the start of October when social unrest returned to the country.