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A weekly brief of events and news occurred in the disputed territories.
Kirkuk
- On Sunday, July 11th, Iraq’s oil minister Ihsan Abdul-Jabbar Ismail visited Kirkuk and held several meetings with security and the governorate’s officials. Ismail’s visit comes after an increase in oil smuggling cases. Since October 16, 2017, Iranian-backed militias have smuggled Kirkuk’s oil to fund their activities.
- On Tuesday, July 13th, Turkey’s ambassador to Iraq, Ali Riza Gunay, visited Kirkuk and held a meeting with the Turkish-backed Turkmen Front. According to sources from Kirkuk, Tukey’s ambassador discussed the internal issues facing the Turkmen Front, including the Shia-Sunni divide. Several members of the Turkmen Front signaled the racist gesture of the Grey Wolf radical group.
- The Police Department to Combat Narcotics and psychotropic substances arrested a dozen individuals accused of crystal methamphetamine dealing. The police announced the confiscation of nearly five kilos of crystal methamphetamine during the arrest of the defendants. For years, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) used Iraq as a main route for drug trafficking and oil smuggling.
- ISIS (Da’esh) terrorists continued large scale attacks in the disputed territories, mainly in Kirkuk province. On Friday, July 9th, Da’esh terrorists attacked a village chief (Mokhtar) named Ibrahim Khalaf in al Abbasi sub-district with light guns, resulting in his sibling’s death. On the same night, Da’esh targeted federal police in Nahrawan Complex and Marim Bag village killing a police officer and injuring two more. Further, Da’esh terrorists kidnapped an employee of the North Oil Company (NOC) while operating a drilling machine near the Sargaran sub-district. In the following days, Da’esh conducted more terror acts, including blowing up a power tower near Dibis district on Saturday and killing a federal police officer near Rashad sub-district on Tuesday.
- Kirkuk’s Iraq National Security Agency branch issued a new security policy requiring a permit for public events, including weddings, seminars, and conferences held in commercial halls in the province. The permit must be applied for before the events for a “security check.”
- Dozens of college graduates protested in front of the governorate, demanding employment, and called for prosecution against the Sunni-Arab lawmaker Mohammed al Tamimi. The protesters accused al Tamimi of attempting to impose 1,200 people loyal to him to the oil ministry for hire against the hiring process laws based on graduation points. In response, al Tamimi accused the “Arab side” of escalating the case. Division among Sunni Arab politicians in the province has become overt closer to the scheduled parliamentary election on October 10th, 2021.
- The Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq replaced Kirkuk’s Chief of Appeal Court, Salih al Obaidi, for breaking prosecution laws for a family member. Al Obaidi was forced to retire after he used tribal reconciliation in a case after his son and bodyguards were accused of beating several young people on June 22nd after a dispute over a soccer game. On many occasions, Iraq’s judicial system has been under fire for corruption.
Khanaqin
- On Saturday, July 10th, Peshmergas of the 3rd division conducted a security sweep from north of Khanaqin to areas under the control of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). The security vacuum caused by Baghdad and Iranian-backed militias allowed Da’esh terrorists to reorganize and launch attacks on Khanaqin since October 16, 2017.
- Organizers of anti-government demonstrations threatened to resume activity in Khanaqin after the mayorship failed to deliver its 10-days pledge to solve the shortage of primary services, mainly electricity and water. The organizers said the time limit has ended, and the situation remains the same.
Tuz Khurmatu
- Two Da’esh terrorists were killed inside a workshop in the district while making IEDs. According to the police, the two terrorists died from severe wounds in the hospital. Further, the security forces conducted a large security search west of Tuz Khurmatu after daily attacks, including clashes, by Da’esh. At least two Da’esh hideouts were discovered.
Makhmour
- On Sunday, Da’esh terrorists kidnapped two shepherds near Makhour and demanded 100,000 US dollars-ransom for freeing them. The security forces announced the arrest of seven terrorists, but the area remains vulnerable to daily tracks, especially near Qara Chokh.
Shingal (Sinjar)
- The governor of Nineveh province Najim al Jabouri, said the security agreement between Erbil and Baghdad is implemented but at “a very slow pace.” Al Jabouri also stressed that forming a local police force for the Yazidi Kurds is the “best security solution” for the town, noting the intervention of “many hands” in Shingal. Several forces exist in Shingal, including Iranian-backed militias, the Iraqi Army, and Yazidi local forces linked with Kurdistan’s Workers’ Party (PKK). Meanwhile, the KRG-backed commander of the Izadkhan forces accused the Shingal administration of having former Da’esh members who are “preventing the return of displaced Yazidis.” Shingal mayor said the lack of services and security is why displaced Yazidis do not return to their homes.