Iraq in December 2022

10 December 2022

Demonstrators were killed in Iraq in protests following the prison sentence of an activist (Al Hadath). Hussein Riyad, spokesman for the health department in Dhi Qar province, told “Agence France Presse” that “demonstrators were shot dead” and 21 others were wounded, including five by bullets, in clashes with security forces during a gathering in the city centre of Nasiriyah. This comes after a court in Baghdad sentenced the young activist Haider al-Zaidi (20 years) to three years in prison, on charges of insulting the Popular Mobilization Forces. Al-Zaidi can still appeal this ruling.
Al-Sudani: We will not accept that Iraq be a springboard for threatening the neighbourhood (Al Hadath). During his speech at the Arab-Chinese Summit in Riyadh, Al-Sudani affirmed support for all efforts to strengthen relations with China, explaining that his country wants open relations with the East and West on the basis of common interests.

5 Years Since the Victory…”Shocking” Numbers Detailing Iraq’s Losses during the “ISIS” War (Alsumaria TV). The losses were distributed in the areas controlled by ISIS in the 7 governorates, where the government losses are estimated at 36 billion dollars.

Iraqi Government Recovers More of the Money Stolen in Iraq’s “Theft of the Century” (Al Jazeera). The office of Iraqi Prime Minister Sudani announced the Iraqi government had recovered an additional $92 million of the billions stolen by Iraqi government officials in what Iraqis call the “theft of the century.”
Iraq’s Parliament Speaker Confirms Killing Of Thousands By Iran-Backed Militia (Iran International). Iraq’s parliament speaker has recently confirmed that hundreds to thousands of people who went missing from 2014 to 2016 were kidnapped and killed by Iran-backed militias.

Iraq, Kuwait, and U.S. Conduct Joint Maritime Patrol in the Gulf (Iraqi News). Iraq, Kuwait, and the United States’ maritime security recently conducted a combined patrol in the Arabian Gulf.

Iraq Recovers $7.9bn in Surplus War Reparations from Kuwait (Middle East Monitor). Iraq has received $7.9 million in surplus war reparations paid to Kuwait through a UN commission. The reparations resulted from Saddam Hussein’s invasion and occupation of its Gulf neighbor in 1990, the Central Bank of Iraq said in a statement.

Iraq and Germany discuss intelligence cooperation and the dismantling of the Al-Hawl IDP camp (Al Sumeria). Iraqi National Security Adviser Qassem Al-Araji met with German National Security AdviserJans Plotner to discuss intelligence cooperation between the two countries and the dismantling of the Al-Hawl IDP camp in northeast Syria.

Iraq Fortifies Border with Iran to Curb Infiltration, Smuggling (Diyaruna). Iraqi officials announced operations to fortify the southeastern part of the frontier with Iran to ‘safeguard the border and close loopholes’.

Baghdad Conference Calls for Regional Cooperation Without Specifying How (Al Hadath). Iraq’s Prime Minister said his country will not allow the use of its lands to launch any threats to neighboring countries….Iran’s Foreign Minister said Iran believes that “security cannot be imported or purchased…Security is a unified and interconnected phenomenon and it is impossible to mobilize all things to destabilize a country and simultaneously stabilize another country”…Saudi Arabia in its turn confirmed its support to Iraq’s sovereignty without mention of Iran.

ISIS Steps Up Attacks on Iraqi Security Forces (Bas News). The latest ISIS attacks targeted Iraqi military convoys on consecutive days. On Monday, ISIS militants attacked the village of Albu Bali in Khalis district of Diyala province, where they killed eight civilians and wounded three others. The previous day, jihadists attacked a Federal Police convoy near Safra village in the province of Kirkuk, killing nine policemen.

Iraqi Security Forces Arrest Man Accused of Committing 100 Murders in Diyala (Al Sumaria TV). (Ahmed Hassan Jawad) the nickname (Ahmed Roumieh) is considered one of the most dangerous wanted persons by the judiciary, and an arrest and investigation warrant has been issued against him in accordance with the provisions of Article (4 / terrorism), due to his criminal acts that threatened security and community peace.

World Bank Warns Iraq Against Relying Entirely on Oil Trade (Mustaqila News). Salim Rouhana, the official in charge of sustainable development programs at the World Bank, said that “The demand for gas has begun to decrease, as the world has begun to turn to it as a transformational source, and to replace it with clean energy such as the sun and air…The decrease in demand is offset by a decrease in the prices of petroleum materials, and therefore a country like Iraq that depends entirely on oil will also decrease its revenues.” Rouhana noted that “the climate and development report that was issued recently confirmed that there is a huge amount of investments that Iraq must make.”
How Does Iran Withdraw Iraq’s Dollars? (Newsalist). The depreciation of the Iraqi dinar against the dollar is a repetition of an old game that began under the government of Nouri al-Maliki between 2006 and 2014, and continues to this day after establishing solid bases for it. The bases are private banks that are under the management of party and militia leaders, and work in favor of Iran, and make speculations and transfers that go to Iran directly through its banks in Iraq. Some money goes to Jordan and Turkey before it leaks to other international banks by taking advantage of currency sales by the Central Bank of Iraq.