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Kirkuk
- On May 2, State Organization for Marketing Oil (SOMO) released oil export statistics for April. No oil was exported from Kirkuk fields due to the suspension of oil exports from the Kurdistan Region via Turkey. Kirkuk fields use Kurdistan’s pipeline, which remains shut due to the recent international ruling. Meanwhile, oil exports to Jordan from Kirkuk have been suspended since April 1 due to the contract’s expiration between Baghdad and Amman. On a different note, the Iraqi Minister of Trade and Industry, Atheer al Ghurairy, revealed that talks are underway between Iraq and Syria to revive the Baniyas pipeline, which might be an alternative to Turkey’s Cehan pipeline.
- On World Press Freedom Day, May 3, the Press Freedom Advocacy Association released its annual report, which ranked Kirkuk for the second year as the third highest area of violations against journalists. The report noted “345 violations against journalists” in one year, including death threats and arrests nationwide. Baghdad ranked first with 85 cases, while Kirkuk recorded 30 cases.
- On May 3, the Integrity Commission announced the arrest of the director of electricity distribution and two other employees for “waste of public funds.” In the Integrity statement, the officials were accused of collecting electricity fees from a mineral water plant but “used it for their benefit.” All three suspects have been sent to court; one was arrested, and the other two were released on bail.
- On May 4, an Iraqi F-16 jet struck the Rukhana Valley in Daquq district. According to a statement issued by the security media cell, the air strike targeted an ISIS (Da’esh) detachment based on preliminary intelligence information. “The airstrike killed several of the terrorist group and destroyed a number of hideouts.” read the statement. That said, Da’esh remains active in the region, including launching an attack on April 28 near al Kuwayr on a position of the Iraqi army. Near the same area, the terrorists kidnapped two hunters, killing one and releasing the other.
Khanaqin
- Mohammed Tamimi, a commander of the Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) in Khanaqin, denied the withdrawal reports from the district. Tamimi told Shafaq News that the PMUs replaced a “regiment from the 23rd Brigade with another,” stressing that the “withdrawal orders are confined to the Joint Operations Command.” The PMUs occupied the region and removed the Peshmerga forces after the Independence Referendum held by the Kurds in 2017. The area lacks security as Da’esh terrorists have conducted several attacks.
Shingal (Sinjar)
- On April 29, Mir Hazim Tahsin, the spiritual leader and the chairman of the Yazidi Spiritual Council, held a news conference after last week’s protests in the district against the return of settlers to Shingal. Commenting on the protests near a mosque, Mir Hazim expressed that they are not against coexistence, but the residents of Shingal are against the return of several families because they were “involved in the crimes of ISIS in 2014.” Last week, the Yazidis were accused of attacking the mosque in Sinjar, but later investigations revealed that “no assault had occurred.” Separately, during her visit to Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, Barbara Leaf, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, told Kirkuk Now, “The Yazidi and Christian communities do not feel safe to return to their homeland. I have heard these concerns from representatives of that community and have discussed them in my talks with Iraqi officials.” Leaf also expressed the importance of implementing the Sinjar Agreement between Baghdad and Erbil.