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Iraq, Saudi Arabia sign 18 energy memorandums in Basra

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During the inauguration of the seventh edition of the Basra oil and gas exhibition in Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia have signed 18 memorandums of understanding in the energy field. 22 Saudi companies took part in the exhibition which purpose was to reinforce the “strategic partnership” between the two countries. Saudi Energy Minister Khaled al-Faleh said that improved relations and energy cooperation between Iraq and Saudi Arabia will help bring stability to the international oil market, with both being prominent OPEC members. Over the past two years because of Saudi Arabia’s opposition to the involvement of Iraqi Shia paramilitary forces in the fight against Islamic State, relations between Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia and the Shia-dominated Iraqi government have been tensional. But in the past months there was a rapprochement between both countries: top-level officials exchanged visits and expressed eagerness to boost political, security and economic cooperation. In July, both countries established a joint coordination council to boost ties on all levels, while in October, more than 60 Saudi companies attended the Baghdad International Exhibition.

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Peshmerga says federal, paramilitary troops rally, south of Sulaimaniya

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On Monday, the Kurdish Peshmerga Ministry Halgurd Hikmat said that the recent al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) deployment in Cremian region, between Jalawla and Calar town, is a dangerous step that doesn’t help de-escalation and that is considered a rupture of the truce between Iraqi and Peshmerga troops. He also declared that “deploying the Iraqi army and PMFs at the time, when the truce is still ongoing is dangerous and does not serve efforts of de-escalation”, adding that Iraqi troops have to stop the deployment and avoid escalation in order to stick to the truce. Earlier in November, Karim al-Nuri, a senior PMFs leader said that al-Hashd al-Shaabi has no intentions of attacking Erbil or deploying outside the borders of the federal government. Iraqi government forces approached the southern borders of Erbil, capital of semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region, shortly after engaging in clashes with the region’s forces in Qushtapa and Altun Kupri in northern Kirkuk in October. Baghdad had declared intentions to retake areas disputed on with Erbil following the Kurdistan Region’s vote for independence from Iraq in September, urging Peshmerga to cooperate with federal troops.

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 Battle against Daesh Still Continuing in Cultural, Ideological Fields: Iran’s Shamkhani

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On Monday, speaking at a meeting with Sheikh Humam Hamoudi, the head of Iraq’s Islamic Supreme Council and the country’s first deputy parliament speaker, in Tehran, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani warned against the spread of extremist ideology of Daesh after its collapse in Iraq e Syria. “The patience and perseverance of the Iraqi people and the braveries of the country’s army, security and popular forces, especially Hashd al-Shaabi, led to the destruction of the region’s greatest threat (Daesh), despite the discontent of some countries”, he said. But he underlined that the battle against the terrorist group is continuing in cultural, ideological and security fields with the intention of uprooting “Daesh-creating thinking” supported by some regional countries. Sheikh Hamoudi acclaimed Iran’s major role in fighting terrorist groups in Iraq and the entire region and said Iraqis gained the recent victories despite economic and security problems and will continue along the same path with the support of its “true allies”. Amid tensions in Iraq, Iran is known as the first country to help the Arab country and has always voiced support for Iraq’s solidarity and prosperity.

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Iraqi warplanes kill 27 Islamic State members in Anbar

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On Wednesday, Qatari al-Samarmad, a commander at Anbar’s mobilization forces, was quoted by IkhNews saying that iraqi army fighter jets pounded an Islamic State hideout in Wadi Hawran, west of the province, and killed 27 Islamic State members, including foreign nationals, in an air raid. He also added that during the airstrikes a number of vehicles belonging to the militants were destroyed. During a weekly press briefing at the cabinet’s building in Baghdad, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared that security forces had cleared “14,000 square kilometers” of al-Jazirah, a desert region surrounded by Anbar, Salahuddin and Nineveh provinces, from Islamic State vestiges. “At a military level, Islamic State in Iraq is over,” Abadi announced, declaring the collapse of Islamic State’s territorial influence in Iraq with the recapture of Rawa, a city on Anbar’s western borders with Syria, which was the group’s last bastion in Iraq. He also had said that final victory over IS would be proclaimed after al-Jazirah total cleaning.

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Iraq migration ministry denies forced repatriation of refugees

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On Tuesday, Iraq’s Migration and Displacement Ministry under-secretary Jassem al-Attiya said to Radio Sawa that refugees could not be forced to return to their home areas recaptured from Islamic State militants. “The government will not force anyone to return at present”, the official said, adding that “remains committed to the federal government’s decision which prevents the forced repatriation of refugees”. However, Jassem al-Attiya expressed his “astonishment” over the determination of some refugees to remain in camps despite the liberation of their regions. The Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights and the U.S. embassy in Iraq have recently recommended the Iraqi government to ensure that repatriation be run based on the refugees’ will, warning against forcing them to return to Anbar and other regions. Iraqi authorities had revealed plans to repatriate all refugees before this year’s end. According to the United Nations at least five million people have been displaced since Islamic State militant imposed their control over large areas of Iraq in 2014, proclaiming a self-styled “Islamic Caliphate”.

 

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Iraqi warplanes launch air raids on Islamic State hideouts in Anbar

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ANBAR – A security source announced to IKH News that on Monday Iraqi Air Force have launched air raids on Islamic State hideaways in the desert area linking Anbar to Nineveh and Salahuddin provinces. According to the source, “It is the first airstrike to be launched on this area within three years”, and the targets are hideouts that were used by IS militants to launch attacks on the areas recently liberated. During the airstrikes many of IS were killed and many IS secret tunnels, weapons and ammunition were destroyed. These operations are combined with those that have been undertaken to recapture villages from IS members: on Sunday, the War Media Cell said in a statement that Iraqi troops have managed to comb over 100 villages and regions falling between south of Hatra and north of Rawa, declaring the end of the first part of second phase of the Upper Euphrates and al-Jazirah Combing Operations. The Joint Operations Command also announced on Saturday that only fifty percent of the regions between Salahuddin and Anbar provinces were liberated. At least 15 Islamic State members were killed in airstrike by the U.S.-led coalition jets in the western desert, the War Media Cell said in a statement. Combing operations are still ongoing: the final victory against Islamic State could be declared only after the full liberation of desert areas from militants.

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Iraqi troops arrest last Islamic State Wali in Mosul city

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MOSUL – On Wednesday, police officer Eyad Ramzy from Nineveh announced to al-Sabah, a semi-official newspaper, that the Iraqi security troops arrested the last Islamic State governor with his two brothers in Mosul city: “Saleb al-Eslahi and his two brothers, Ahmed and Suleiman, were nabbed at a village in Mosul with fake IDs in their possession”, as he said. The trio was referred to the authorities concerned for interrogation. Ramzy also added that the forces found huge amounts of explosive materials and weapons belonging to IS militants buried under the ground at Ayn al-Jahesh village in Mosul. “The explosive materials were estimated at 90 tons”, as he said. On Tuesday, a curfew was imposed in four districts in Mosul city in search of criminals. Despite the declaration of the victory over the Islamic State in Mosul, the group’s former bastion in Iraq, observers assume that the IS militants constitute a security threat even if they have been defeated at their main havens across Iraqi provinces. Police forces launched a manhunt for criminals, who are wanted on terror charges and also the Iraqi Air Forces are taking part in the security campaign.

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Iraq; 20 people killed, 70 injured in bomb blast in Salahuddin province

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On Tuesday, a medical source said to Al-Ghad Press that a booby-trapped vehicle exploded near an overcrowded market at the Military District in Tuz Khurmatu region in Salahuddin province. Because of the explosion twenty people were killed and 70 others were wounded, but according to the medical source the number of casualties is expected to rise. The source also said that the targets of the attack were checkpoints for PMFs in al-Bu Eissa village, on borders between Salahuddin and located adjacent to Mutaibija. During this year, Salahuddin province was repeatedly rocked by several suicide bombings: only last week Al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces), assisted by Federal Police, succeeded in preventing an attack by IS members right near Salahuddin province. Tuz Khurmatu was also one of the areas disputed by Iraq and Kurdistan Region: in October Iraqi forces liberated the area as part of a government push to impose control over disputed territories, responding to Kurdistan’s independence referendum held in September. Recently with the liberation of Anbar’s town of Rawa, the last Islamic State’s stronghold, Iraq announced the end of the Islamic State’s territorial presence in Iraq.

 

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Federal court says Kurdistan’s independence referendum “unconstitutional”

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On Monday, the Supreme Federal Court issued a verdict about Kurdistan’s independence referendum considering it “unconstitutional”. In fact on September 25, Kurds held a referendum voting to break away from Iraq and defying the central government in Baghdad as well as neighboring Turkey and Iran who have their own Kurdish minorities. The court had already decreed on November 6 that no region or province could secede. The Court’s verdict of today declared the unconstitutionality of the referendum and the court also cancelled all results of the controversial vote, sparking outrage between Erbil and Baghdad. “The Federal Court issued the verdict to consider the Kurdish region’s referendum unconstitutional and this ruling is final” and “the power of this ruling should now cancel all the results of the referendum”, as a court spokesman said. The court is responsible for settling disputes between Iraq’s central government and regions including Kurdistan. Last week the Kurdistan Regional Government said it would respect the verdict that cannot be appealed.

 

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: Updated: PM Abadi says army freed last IS bastion in Anbar in record time

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BAGHDAD – In a statement on Friday, the Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi announced that the armed forces and the Iraqi people succeeded in recapturing the city of Rawa, the last Islamic State’s stronghold in Western Anbar, in record time. “Our champions freed Rawa in record time and are resuming the combing of the Jazeera region as well as the desert and securing the Iraqi borders”, as Abadi said. In a few hours the city of Rawa has been liberated, showing the power and capability of Iraqi army as well as the successful and efficacious battles’ plans. After the recapture of many districts in the town, the liberation of Rawa marked the end of the military presence of IS in Western Anbar. Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Yarallah, commander of Jazeera and Upper Euphrates Combing Operations, declared that the recapture of Rawa was announced by raising the Iraqi flag above buildings there. Naeem al-Kaoud, chief of Anbar Province Council’s Security Committee, said that “operations to retake Rawa will possibly not take more than 24 hours, noting that most of IS militants had fled to Syria”. According to United Nations counts, the war against IS has displaced five million people, while hundreds of civilians and security troops were killed.

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