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Kirkuk
- After ISIS (Da’esh) attacks on the Peshmerga forces last week, Iraq’s Prime minister Mustafa al Kadhimi arrived in Laheban near Kirkuk’s Sar Garan district on Wednesday. Kadihimi met with Iraqi and Peshmerga officials, followed by meetings of Kurdish officials in Erbil. Laheban residents fled the village after recent Da’esh attacks, the terror group burned several homes before the Peshmerga forces deployed inside the village. Currently, the Iraqi army and the Peshmerga forces are in the area. Moreover, Da’esh continued their attacks, clashing with Iraqi forces near the same village on Wednesday. The terrorists also fired four katyusha rockets toward Peshmerga posts late Tuesday, and attacked the Iraqi army in Dinis’ Tolia’a village, killing two soldiers. While Da’esh threats have dramatically increased, Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi army conducted some joint operations to clear the area, including in Shawan district and the villages surrounding it.
- In the span of one week, the Iraqi army’s 61st brigade raided seven Kurdish neighborhoods and launched a “security search.” Locals complained about provocative acts towards Kurdish residents by elements of the Iraqi Army. Kurdish activists and observers complained about discriminatory policies by the 61st brigade against the Kurds, while Non-Kurdish neighborhoods, mainly where terrorists operate from, did not see any security operations.
- The Turkish-backed Iraqi-Turkmen Front and the Arab Coalition released statements renewing earlier “rejection” for the return of the Peshmerga to Kirkuk. Despite the deterioration of the security in Kirkuk since the removal of the Peshmerga forces in 2017 by Baghdad, both the Turkish-backed Turkmen Front and the Arab Coalition continue their anti-Kurdish rhetoric.
- The final changes in the election results affected candidates in four provinces, including Kirkuk. In the ” manual recount,” a Turkmen Front candidate, Sawsan Wahed, lost by one vote to an Iranian-backed Fateh candidate Gareeb Asker.
Khanaqin
- On Wednesday, December 8, Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi army conducted a joint military operation to clear the Qara Tapeh area and search for Da’esh hideouts. According to a statement by the Peshmerga ministry, 14 Da’esh shelters were discovered, and several weapons were seized. Likewise, a joint security operation also took place outside Tuz Khurmatu, near Zanana, where the terror group has been active.
- A delegation of Iraq’s electricity ministry visited Khanaqin and said Da’esh had blown up nine power towers in May of this year. In a press conference, the delegation also said the power shortage in the area is due to terrorist attacks and old power equipment, while the ministry fails to deliver more electricity.
Makhmour
- Near the Qara Chokh mountains, the Peshmerga forces clashed with Da’esh terrorists on Monday night, December 6. The clashes lasted an hour, followed by a retreat of the terrorists. Da’esh clashes are part of recent attacks on the Peshmerga forces in the region, which the regional and international states have widely denounced.
Shingal (Sijnar)
- The Iraqi committee for mass graves announced that 41 corpses of Yazdi victims of Genocide had been transferred to Shingal’s Kajo village for the burial on Sunday, December 12. The committee completed DNA tests for the victims. Separately, last Friday, December 3rd, authorities found ten corpses inside a utility hole. However, no statements were released by the authorities regarding whether the victims are of Da’esh atrocities.
- On Tuesday, December 7th, a Turkish drone struck a vehicle near Shingal (Sinjar), assassinating a Sinjar Resistance Units (YPS) commander named Marwan Badal Haji. The Iraqi government and political parties denounced Turkey’s “violation of Iraqi sovereignty.”