Iraqi Prime Minister: Foreign Troops Forbidden From Fighting in Iraq
Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi demanded that foreign troops within Iraq may not fight each other. The announcement accompanied escalating tensions between the United States and Iran, both of which have forces operating in Iraq (Associated Press)
Iraq Green Zone Opens to Public
The area in the capital of Baghdad, which houses the U.S. embassy and Iraqi government offices, had been closed to the public since the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. The government said Iraqis could access the Green Zone starting on Eid al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of Ramadan (Associated Press)
Suicide Bombing in Iraq Kills Four
At least four people were killed in a suicide bombing in a predominantly Shiite suburb of Baghdad, as many in the country are observing the holy month of Ramadan; the Islamic State said it was behind the attack (Al Jazeera)
Iraq to House 30,000 People in Detention Camps
Top Iraqi authorities are reportedly seeking to place as many as thirty thousand people who lived under the Islamic State in an isolation camp once they are repatriated from Syria. Humanitarian groups have warned that such a move would hamper the returnees’ reintegration (Washington Post)
HRW: Ongoing Torture in Iraqi Prison
Human Rights Watch published a report documenting the ongoing torture of detainees by Iraqi officers in Mosul’s Faisaliya prison (Al Jazeera)
Iraqi Security Forces Kill Islamic State Commander
A local Islamic State commander and four other militants were killed by Iraqi troops in northeast Iraq yesterday, according to Iraqi military officials. Iraqi security forces and U.S.-led coalition planes have been carrying out air strikes and ground assaults targeting Islamic State fighters in the Hamrin Mountains for several days (Reuters)
Iraq Offers Trials for ISIS Foreigners in Exchange for Fees
Iraq proposed trying and sentencing foreign Islamic State suspects, in exchange for millions of dollars from the U.S.-led coalition to cover operational costs (Agence France-Presse)
Rights Group Highlights Detention, Torture of Children Linked to ISIS in Iraq
In a new report, Human Rights Watch accused Iraqi and Kurdistan Regional Government authorities of arresting hundreds of children for suspected links to the Islamic State and using torture to coerce confessions (Human Rights Watch)
SDF Transfers ISIS Militants to Iraq
The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) handed over more than one hundred fifty Islamic State fighters to Iraq today as part of an agreement to transfer some five hundred militants, most of whom are Iraqi (Reuters)
U.S. Acting Defense Secretary Visits Iraq
Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan arrived in Baghdad today to meet with Iraqi government officials and U.S. military commanders and discuss troop deployments to the country (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Islamic State Militants Flee to Iraq
According to Iraqi officials, militants of the Islamic State are fleeing to Iraq, as U.S.-backed forces approach the terrorists’ last stronghold in eastern Syria (Wall Street Journal)
Trump Makes First Visit to Iraq
President Donald J. Trump made a surprise visit to U.S. troops in Iraq, his first to U.S. troops in a conflict zone, where he defended his decision to withdraw U.S. forces in Syria despite opposition from defense officials and U.S. allies (New York Times)
Car Bomb Kills Five in Northern Iraq
The blast from a detonated car bomb killed at least five and wounded sixteen near a restaurant in Tikrit, northern Iraq (Al Jazeera)
Over Two Hundred Mass Graves Found in Northern and Western Iraq
A UN investigation has found over two hundred mass graves in areas once controlled by the Islamic State. It is estimated that six thousand to twelve thousand victims are buried in the graves, found in the governorates of Nineveh, Kirkuk, Salahuddin, and Anbar (BBC)
Car Bomb Kills Six in Northern Iraq
At least six were killed by a car bomb in Qayyara. An official indicated that the Islamic State carried out the attack (Al Jazeera)
Iraq’s New President Designates Prime Minister
President Barham Saleh, elected by MPs yesterday, has named Adel Abdul Mahdi as prime minister (BBC)
Suicide Attack Kills Six Near Iraq’s Tikrit
A suicide car bombing killed at least six people and wounded forty-two. No group has claimed responsibility (Reuters)
Ten Protestors Killed By Iraqi Security Forces in Basra
Ten people were killed in protests in and around the southern city of Basra this week as security forces used live ammunition on demonstrators. Basrans have complained that oil wealth has been siphoned from their city and that power and water shortages are endemic (Middle East Eye)
Islamic State Claims Responsibility for Car Bombing in Iraq
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for a suicide car bombing in western Iraq that killed seven people (Associated Press)
Suicide Attack Kills Six Militiamen in Northern Iraq
A suicide attack on a former Iraqi lawmaker’s house killed at least six members of the Tribal Mobilization Forces, a network of Sunni militias, and wounded seven others in northern Iraq. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack (Reuters)
Coalition Service Member Killed in Iraq
A helicopter crash last night in Iraq left one service member of the U.S.-led coalition dead and several others wounded (CNN)
At Least Twenty Thousand Islamic State Fighters Remain in Iraq and Syria, Says UN
A United Nations report released yesterday found that between twenty and thirty thousand Islamic State militants remain in Iraq and Syria (Agence France-Presse)
Iraqi Court Gives French and German Citizens Life Sentences for Joining Islamic State
An Iraqi court sentenced a French man and a German woman, among more than a dozen others, to life imprisonment for membership in the Islamic State (Reuters)
Separately, between July 30 and August 4, coalition forces conducted six air strikes against the Islamic State across Iraq (U.S. Central Command)
U.S.-Led Coalition Admits a Thousand Civilian Deaths in Iraq and Syria
The U.S.-led coalition fighting the self-proclaimed Islamic State said its roughly thirty thousand air strikes in the region have killed 1,059 civilians since August 2014. A UK-based monitoring group has put the death toll as high as 9,947 civilians (VOA)
Standoff Between Kurdish Forces and Gunmen in Iraq’s Erbil Ends
Clashes between Kurdish security forces and three gunmen, one of whom blew himself up, in Erbil’s governorate building concluded with two gunmen and one civilian dead. The mayor of Erbil linked the attack to the Islamic State (Al Jazeera)
Separately, between July 16 and 22, the United States-led coalition conducted four strikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq (Department of Defense)