Kirkuk
- Plans to deploy joint forces of the Peshmerga and the Iraqi Army to the disputed territories remain unimplemented. The Minister of Peshmerga, Shorsh Ismael, called for expedited implementation of the agreement due to Da’esh threats and attacks in the region. Baghdad refuses to pay the salaries of the Peshmerga which were transferred to the Iraqi Defense Ministry. The Peshmerga held a protest demanding five months of salaries that have been delayed by Baghdad following their transfer.
- ISIS (Da’esh) terrorists intensified attacks on security forces in Iraq’s disputed territories, with the majority taking place in Kirkuk.
April 22: During clashes between Da’esh terrorists and the Iraqi Federal Police’s special brigade, a police officer was killed by sniper fire in Wadi Shahma, Rashad district.
April 23: Three separate attacks by Da’esh targeted the Iraqi army, wounding one soldier in the Rokhana valley of the Hawija district, an attack near Rashad killed an officer from the Federal Police’s “Commando Unit” and a clash with the Iraqi army near Haftaghar in the Daquq district ended without casualties.
April 24: Two attacks in the Jobaghani, and Talbasil villages areas of Daquq wounded one soldier.
April 26: A Da’esh attack on the Iraqi Army’s 96th division near the Sargaran subdistrict killed one soldier and wounded two others.
Additionally, Kurdish residents of al-Mansour village in Daquq repelled a Da’esh attack, one civilian was injured during the clashes. The Iraqi Army had previously set up a checkpoint in the area, but Da’esh terrorists were able to easily breach it without any resistance.
- In a press conference, Zuhair Ali, Director of the Department of Agriculture, stated that Kirkuk’s farmers have yet to receive payments from Baghdad for selling their crops. According to Ali, the Federal Government has not paid farmers since 2014, forcing them to sell their produce in private markets.
- On Tuesday, April 26, two Turkish-backed lawmakers from the Iraqi Turkmen Front accused the director of the North Oil Company (NOC) of being “racist and sectarian” for hindering the hiring process of non-Arab job seekers at the company. In response, the Arab Coalition rejected the remarks, calling on the Iraqi Prime Minister to intervene and to “protect Kirkuk and its people from these statements that promote violence.” The exchange is the first of its type between the Arab and Turkmen who became “allies” against the Kurds since October 16, 2017. Separately, internal competition between two leaders of the Turkmen Front continued after tensions rose to a level where one side produced posters calling for the removal of the current leader of the party, Hassan Turan.
Khanaqin
- Two civilians were killed, and three others were wounded following an IED explosion on April 25th. The IED was placed near Madan village.
- A drought has completely dried the Hamrin Dam which is located between Khanaqin and Tuz Khurmatu. In 2019 the dam contained three billion cubic meters (m3) of water.
Tuz Khurmatu
- A Da’esh attack on the Tuz Airbase killed two Iranian-backed militia members and injured three others on Saturday, April 23rd. The airbase was previously used by the US-led Coalition (FOB Bernstein), and has been under the control of Iranian-backed militias and the Iraqi army since October 16, 2017. Moreover, Iraqi forces announced Da’esh used military uniforms and green paint on their whole bodies to avoid being detected by thermal cameras.
Sinjar (Shingal)
- A Peshmerga Representative to the Iraqi “joint forces,” General Tala’at Abdulkhalaq, called for implementation of the Erbil-Baghdad “Sinjar Security Agreement” as Sinjar has suffered from a “very bad” security situation. Abdulkhalaq also called on the Iraqi government to purge the town from “PKK” and other militias. Currently, Iraqi forces have deployed many units with tanks and heavy weapons, in preparations for an attack on the PKK offshoot, the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS). Separately, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi reserved an earlier decision to place the Nineveh governor as acting mayor of Shingal after widespread rejection by the public. The town has had no mayor since Mehma Khalil, a member of the Democratic Party of Kurdistan (KDP), became a lawmaker after winning a seat in the October 2021 elections.