Latest news with #Crimean-Congo
Rudaw Net
2 days ago
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Iraqi parliament fails to discuss drone attacks on Kurdistan Region
Also in Iraq Iraq's top court rejects lawsuits against Kurdish parliament PM Sudani welcomes new commander of anti-ISIS coalition Iraq cannot control militias attacking Kurdistan Region, says MP Iraq records 16 new cases of Crimean-Congo fever A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq's parliament wrapped up a session Monday without addressing recent drone strikes on Kurdistan Region oil infrastructure, after Kurdish factions boycotted the session for unknown reasons, sources told Rudaw. The session's agenda included two main topics: the deadly fire at a shopping mall in Iraq's Kut and drone attacks targeting the Kurdistan Region's oil and energy infrastructure. The parliament said in a statement only the former topic was discussed without elaborating. Lawmakers from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) boycotted the session. Only three Kurdish parliamentarians attended it, according to Soran Omar from the Islamist Kurdistan Justice Group (Komal). Two of them left the session before it ended. 'The first item was discussed, but because Kurdish parliamentarians did not participate, I requested Muhsin al-Mandalawi, Deputy Speaker of Parliament who was chairing the session, to remove the drone attacks item from the session agenda. He removed it and it was not discussed,' Omar told Rudaw. The first agenda item was a massive fire late Wednesday at a newly opened shopping mall in Kut, the capital of Wasit province, which killed at least 77 people. Most victims died from smoke inhalation, and the incident sparked public outrage over the lack of emergency exits and lax safety standards. According to Omar, Mandalawi expressed his surprise at the absence of Kurdish lawmakers, saying, 'They themselves had requested the session, yet now they have not participated in the session.' Dara Sekaniani, a Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) lawmaker and member of the Iraqi parliament's legal committee, said he left after it became clear the drone strikes would not be discussed. Showan Kalari and Sherwan Dubardani, KDP lawmakers, later told Rudaw they were instructed by party leadership not to attend, without knowing the reason. 'We have no information, they just said not to participate and we did not participate,' they said. PUK lawmaker Srwa Mohammed also confirmed her party's absence but did not provide further details. Omar criticized the Region's ruling parties for not participating, especially since the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has directly accused Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) of being behind the drone attacks - a claim denied by Baghdad. Omar said that since the interior ministry has made the accusation, the Region's ruling parties - the KDP and the PUK - should have attended the session and voiced their concerns. Since early July, nearly 20 drone attacks have hit the Kurdistan Region, mostly targeting oil fields and causing significant financial losses. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks and there have been no new attacks since Erbil and Baghdad reached a new agreement on finances and oil exports on Thursday. The map shows the approximate locations of drone attacks on the Kurdistan Region recorded by Rudaw English between July 1-17. Iraq's parliament on Friday launched an investigation into recent drone attacks. 'Next week we, as the Security and Defense Committee, will have a visit to learn the details of the incident and who is behind this incident,' Mohammed Rasul, a member of parliament's Security and Defense Committee, told Rudaw on Friday. The Kurdistan Region's Presidency, Council of Ministers, and Ministry of Natural Resources have all strongly condemned the attacks, describing them as attempts to cripple the Region's vital oil infrastructure. They called on the federal government to hold the perpetrators to account. The international community has also condemned the attacks. KRG Deputy Chief of Staff Aziz Ahmad said last week that drone strikes by 'criminal militias on the Iraqi government payroll' have led to the loss of nearly 200,000 barrels of oil production per day. Ahmad also said that the drones were launched from Kirkuk province.
Rudaw Net
2 days ago
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Iraq's top court rejects lawsuits against Kurdish parliament
Also in Iraq PM Sudani welcomes new commander of anti-ISIS coalition Iraq cannot control militias attacking Kurdistan Region, says MP Iraq records 16 new cases of Crimean-Congo fever Iraqi parliament to convene on Kurdistan Region drone attacks A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq's Federal Supreme Court on Monday dismissed two lawsuits seeking the dissolution of the Kurdistan Region's parliament, ruling that the matter falls outside its jurisdiction. 'Both lawsuits were rejected by the Federal Supreme Court on the grounds that the issue is not within the jurisdiction of the court,' Omar Gulpi, one of the plaintiffs and a member of the opposition Kurdistan Justice Group (Komal), told Rudaw on Monday. His lawsuit was filed with the federal court against the Kurdistan parliament, calling for the annulment of the 2024 regional election results over its failure to convene. A similar lawsuit was filed by the head of the New Generation Movement's (NGM) bloc in the Iraqi parliament, Srwa Abdulwahid, and two other members of the party, calling for the dissolution of the Kurdish legislature. The NGM is the strongest opposition party in the Kurdistan Region. Komal leader Ali Bapir in June criticized the current Kurdish parliament as lacking legitimacy due to alleged electoral fraud. Despite this, he told Rudaw that convening it to form a new government would still serve the public interest. The Kurdistan Region held delayed parliamentary elections in October 2024, two years after the original date. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) won 39 out of 100 seats, followed by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) with 23. As no party achieved a majority, a governing coalition is required, as has been customary. Amid the impasse, lawmakers in the Kurdish parliament - who are seemingly awaiting the outcome of the government formation talks between the KDP and the PUK - have convened only once in December, without electing a speaker or deputies. The session ended with no significant decisions and was adjourned indefinitely. Hastyar Qadir and Nahro Mohammed contributed to this report.
Rudaw Net
2 days ago
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
PM Sudani welcomes new commander of anti-ISIS coalition
Also in Iraq Iraq cannot control militias attacking Kurdistan Region, says MP Iraq records 16 new cases of Crimean-Congo fever Iraqi parliament to convene on Kurdistan Region drone attacks Iraq arrests 40 over alleged baathist plots, sectarian incitement A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani on Monday received Kevin Lambert, the new commander of the US-led global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS). They discussed the future of the coalition forces in the country. Lambert was part of a delegation which included the outgoing commander of the coalition, Kevin Leahy, and Commander of US Central Command, Michael Kurilla. During the meeting, they discussed the cooperation between Iraq and the coalition, its development over time, and preparations to transition to bilateral security partnerships with individual coalition member states, according to a statement from Sudani's office. Sudani 'stressed the importance of maintaining stability, avoiding triggers that could escalate conflicts, and upholding the sovereignty of states in accordance with UN charters, international resolutions, dialogue, and mutual understanding. He emphasized the need to activate diplomatic efforts and cooperation to reinforce security and stability in the region,' the statement added. The US-led coalition was formed in 2014 after Iraq formally requested international assistance to counter ISIS's rapid territorial gains in Iraq and Syria. In September 2024, Iraq and the United States announced a joint agreement to end the coalition's mission in Iraq by September 2025. Baghdad has repeatedly stressed that Iraq's current security environment is vastly improved and that Iraqi forces are capable of maintaining internal stability.
Rudaw Net
2 days ago
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Iraq arrests 40 over alleged baathist plots, sectarian incitement
Also in Iraq Iraq cannot control militias attacking Kurdistan Region, says MP Iraq records 16 new cases of Crimean-Congo fever Iraqi parliament to convene on Kurdistan Region drone attacks PM Barzani says Baghdad added new condition to finance agreement A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Forty people suspected of spreading Ba'athist ideologies of former dictator Saddam Hussein's regime and planning sabotage attacks have been arrested, Iraqi security forces announced on Sunday. 'Security detachments carried out qualitative operations that resulted in the arrest of 40 suspects involved in managing and financing sectarian content and seeking to carry out sabotage operations,' the Iraqi National Security Agency (INSS) said in a statement. The law criminalizing the promotion of the Baath Party in Iraq was activated on July 30, 2016. It criminalized membership in, and promotion of, the dissolved Ba'ath party in Iraq, as well as any similar groups or ideologies 'These misguided elements resorted to false rhetoric that promoted the banned Ba'athist regime as a cover for marketing their dead dreams and inciting against the state,' the security agency added. A clandestine cyber group called 'Brigade 66' which is managed from outside the country and spreads Ba'athist ideologies was also monitored. 'Some of them [the suspects] confessed to receiving guidance and support from fugitive elements outside the country,' the INSS said. The Arab Socialist Baath Party ruled Iraq from 1968 until it was toppled in 2003 by a United States-led invasion that removed its leader, Hussein. The party has since been banned under Article 7 of the Iraqi constitution, which outlaws adopting, glorifying, or promoting the symbols and propaganda of the former regime. Hussein's oppressive regime was responsible for numerous crimes against humanity, including the Anfal genocide against the Kurds. The campaign reached its deadliest point in 1988 with the Halabja chemical attack, which killed around 5,000 people and injured 10,000 more. The dictator was executed in 2006 after being sentenced to death in a separate case for the killing of 148 Shiites. His trial on charges related to the Anfal genocide was still ongoing at the time of his execution.
Rudaw Net
2 days ago
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Iraq cannot control militias attacking Kurdistan Region, says MP
Also in Iraq Iraq records 16 new cases of Crimean-Congo fever Iraqi parliament to convene on Kurdistan Region drone attacks Iraq arrests 40 over alleged baathist plots, sectarian incitement PM Barzani says Baghdad added new condition to finance agreement A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Kurdish lawmaker in the Iraqi parliament on Monday said the Iraqi government lacks control over armed groups behind recent drone attacks on the Kurdistan Region, accusing 'external agendas' of fueling tensions between Erbil and Baghdad. Dozens of drone strikes have targeted the Kurdistan Region since the beginning of July, mainly hitting oil fields and causing significant financial losses. Kurdish officials have blamed the attacks on 'criminal militias' affiliated with the Iraqi government. 'We see that very often Iraq and the Kurdistan Region become victims of those militias that are outside authority. I can say that the Iraqi government cannot control those armed groups,' Srwa Mohammed, a Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) lawmaker in the Iraqi parliament, told Rudaw. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has blamed Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi) for the drone attacks, a charge Baghdad has denied. 'Despite having general authority, and the prime minister being the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, there are still militias that operate outside the law and do not follow official authority,' Mohammed added. The Iraqi parliament is convening on Monday in an extraordinary session to discuss the drone strikes, which have targeted key oil infrastructure. Although a parliamentary committee was formed to investigate the attacks, Mohammed said 'no report has reached parliament so far' and that the legislature's session is only for discussion with no decisions expected. She described the drone strikes as a form of 'pressure on the Kurdistan Region,' adding that 'whenever problems and disputes arise between the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad, undoubtedly pressure is imposed on the Kurdistan Region.' Mohammed attributed the tensions to 'political and external agendas' that she said are preventing a resolution between the two sides. In March, the US rescinded waivers allowing Iraq to import energy from Iran. The Kurdistan Region subsequently signed multibillion-dollar energy deals with American companies in May to develop its oil and gas fields - contracts that Baghdad rejected as unconstitutional and challenged in court. However, Iraq's Supreme Court on Monday ruled in favor of the KRG, upholding the contracts. On Tuesday, Iraq's state-run North Oil Company signed an initial agreement with US-based HKN Energy for the development of the Hamrin oil field in Basra province, just hours after a drone strike targeted one of HKN's oil fields in the Kurdistan Region. On Monday, Iraq's Council of Ministers approved a new deal to resume salary payments and restart Kurdish oil exports. Under the agreement, the KRG must export all of its oil through Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO), keeping 50,000 barrels per day for local consumption and delivering 230,000 barrels daily to Baghdad. In exchange, Baghdad is expected to make budget transfers and supply refined fuel if needed. The KRG is also required to submit 120 billion Iraqi dinars (approximately $92 million) in non-oil revenues each month. Aziz Ahmad, deputy chief of staff to KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, said Wednesday that the drone attacks by 'criminal militias on the Iraqi government payroll' have caused the loss of nearly 200,000 barrels in production.
