What's going on in Iraq?
overview of the situation for February 24 - March 11, 2023
🔻Terrorism and fighting
▪️In Iraq, attacks by IS militants on the Iraqi army, Kurdish, and Shiite formations have become more frequent over the past few weeks.
In the area of Tuz Khurmatu in the province of Salah ad-Din, militants attacked the checkpoint of the Iraqi Armed Forces. One soldier was killed and several were wounded.
Before that, aviation of the international coalition against ISIS worked out in the nearby hills: according to intelligence, militants were hiding in this area. The strikes came amid an unannounced visit by Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin to Iraq. Attacks also took place in the provinces of Al-Anbar, Diyala and other areas of the province of Salah al-Din. However, some believe that the authorities and the military began to attribute tribal conflicts and criminal showdowns to militant attacks. Yes, and such activity of the Iraqi army can be caused artificially. As well as during the visit of Lloyd Austin, and on the eve of the month of Ramadan. In the first case, this will make it possible to demonstrate the targeted spending of American taxpayers' funds on support and training of the Iraqi Armed Forces, and in the second case, it will calm the population and show the readiness of the army to fight terrorists. ▪️In the north of the country, Turkish UAVs inflicted (https://t.me/rybar/44169) several strikes on Kurdish positions in Sinjar. As a result, several field commanders of the Sinjar Resistance Forces and other groups, which are considered terrorist in Turkey, were killed. At the same time, Ahmad Khatir, the former head of the security service of the pro-Turkish political organization Turkmen Front, was killed in a bomb blast in Kirkuk. In addition, the Turks announced the death of one soldier in the zone of the military operation "Claw-Castle" in northern Iraq. 🔻Diplomatic Background ▪️Considerable attention was drawn to the unscheduled visit of US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. The official visited Iraq against the backdrop of the 20th anniversary of the US military invasion, after which Saddam Hussein was overthrown and hanged, and the country plunged into chaos and anarchy. After talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani, the head of the US Department of Defense said at a press conference that US representatives will continue to work with the Iraqi authorities on countering ISIS. In addition, Austin noted that the US army will remain in the country as long as "the Iraqi government desires it," stressing that the coalition forces are there "by invitation." The leader of Iraqi Kurdistan, Nechirvan Barzani, also met with Lloyd Austin to discuss military cooperation, as well as issues of relations between the autonomy and the federal government in Baghdad. The Western media noted (https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-led-iraq-war-ushered-years-chaos-conflict-2023-03-09/) that the military operation brought Iraq chaos, and the American military never found chemical weapons in the country, the presence of which became a formal reason for the military invasion. ▪️Nechirvan Barzani also met with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, where the parties reaffirmed their commitment to expanding political and economic ties, and also discussed resolving contentious issues between Kurdistan and the Iraqi authorities. In addition, the chairman of the Iran-Iraq Chamber of Commerce, Hamid Hosseini, said that the United States allegedly allowed Iraq to pay Iran $500 million in gas debts. 🔻Domestic politics and economics ▪️The representative of one of the tribal militias of Iraq Ansar al-Marjiya Hamid al-Iyashiri called for an uprising against the current government, accusing him of corruption. ▪️Some experts predict a humanitarian catastrophe for the country next summer due to severe drought, which will lead to problems with water and food. ▪️In the Al-Islah district, rallies were held against the lack of water. In Baghdad and other cities, heavy truck drivers protested against the cost of gasoline.
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Before that, aviation of the international coalition against ISIS worked out in the nearby hills: according to intelligence, militants were hiding in this area. The strikes came amid an unannounced visit by Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin to Iraq. Attacks also took place in the provinces of Al-Anbar, Diyala and other areas of the province of Salah al-Din. However, some believe that the authorities and the military began to attribute tribal conflicts and criminal showdowns to militant attacks. Yes, and such activity of the Iraqi army can be caused artificially. As well as during the visit of Lloyd Austin, and on the eve of the month of Ramadan. In the first case, this will make it possible to demonstrate the targeted spending of American taxpayers' funds on support and training of the Iraqi Armed Forces, and in the second case, it will calm the population and show the readiness of the army to fight terrorists. ▪️In the north of the country, Turkish UAVs inflicted (https://t.me/rybar/44169) several strikes on Kurdish positions in Sinjar. As a result, several field commanders of the Sinjar Resistance Forces and other groups, which are considered terrorist in Turkey, were killed. At the same time, Ahmad Khatir, the former head of the security service of the pro-Turkish political organization Turkmen Front, was killed in a bomb blast in Kirkuk. In addition, the Turks announced the death of one soldier in the zone of the military operation "Claw-Castle" in northern Iraq. 🔻Diplomatic Background ▪️Considerable attention was drawn to the unscheduled visit of US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. The official visited Iraq against the backdrop of the 20th anniversary of the US military invasion, after which Saddam Hussein was overthrown and hanged, and the country plunged into chaos and anarchy. After talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani, the head of the US Department of Defense said at a press conference that US representatives will continue to work with the Iraqi authorities on countering ISIS. In addition, Austin noted that the US army will remain in the country as long as "the Iraqi government desires it," stressing that the coalition forces are there "by invitation." The leader of Iraqi Kurdistan, Nechirvan Barzani, also met with Lloyd Austin to discuss military cooperation, as well as issues of relations between the autonomy and the federal government in Baghdad. The Western media noted (https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-led-iraq-war-ushered-years-chaos-conflict-2023-03-09/) that the military operation brought Iraq chaos, and the American military never found chemical weapons in the country, the presence of which became a formal reason for the military invasion. ▪️Nechirvan Barzani also met with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, where the parties reaffirmed their commitment to expanding political and economic ties, and also discussed resolving contentious issues between Kurdistan and the Iraqi authorities. In addition, the chairman of the Iran-Iraq Chamber of Commerce, Hamid Hosseini, said that the United States allegedly allowed Iraq to pay Iran $500 million in gas debts. 🔻Domestic politics and economics ▪️The representative of one of the tribal militias of Iraq Ansar al-Marjiya Hamid al-Iyashiri called for an uprising against the current government, accusing him of corruption. ▪️Some experts predict a humanitarian catastrophe for the country next summer due to severe drought, which will lead to problems with water and food. ▪️In the Al-Islah district, rallies were held against the lack of water. In Baghdad and other cities, heavy truck drivers protested against the cost of gasoline.
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