The purpose of this report is to provide relevant information for the assessment of applications for international protection, including refugee status and subsidiary protection, and in particular for use in updating EUAA’s country guidance document on Iraq. In order to support the assessment of the application of Article 15(c) of the Qualification Directive on the existence of a serious and individual threat to a civilian’s life or person by reason of indiscriminate violence in situations of international or internal armed conflict, the security situation report examines the type of armed conflicts taking place in the territory, the nature of the violence and presence of armed actors in different areas, and the impact on civilians, for example in terms of casualties/fatalities and conflict-linked displacement. The report covers the period February 2023 – March 2024, and provides an update of the EUAA COI report: Iraq Security situation (January 2022). The report should be read in conjunction with the EUAA COI report: Iraq Country focus (May 2024).
Authors
- Catalogue number
- BZ-09-24-246-EN-N
- Citation
- European Union Agency for Asylum, Iraq security situation â Country of origin information report â May 2024 , Publications Office of the European Union, 2024, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2847/61474
- DOI
- https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2847/61474
- ISBN
- 978-92-9410-071-9
- Pages
- 235
- Published in
- Belgium
- Themes
- Asia , Foreign and security policy — Defence
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgements 4
- Contents 5
- Disclaimer 11
- Glossary and abbreviations 12
- Introduction 15
- Methodology 15
- Defining the terms of reference 15
- Collecting information 15
- Quality control 16
- Sources 16
- Sources on security incidents 16
- Sources on civilian casualties 18
- Structure and use of the report 19
- Maps 20
- 1. General description of the security situation 21
- 1.1. Overview of recent security trends 21
- February to October 2023 22
- Post-October 2023: US-Iran tensions 22
- Conflict with ISIL 24
- Tensions within the Iraqi security apparatus/within the PMF 25
- 1.2. Political developments 26
- National political developments 26
- The political situation in the Kurdistan Region 26
- Relations between Baghdad and Erbil 27
- 1.3. International involvement 28
- Türkiye 28
- Iran 29
- USA 30
- 1.4. Armed Actors 32
- Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL) 32
- Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) 33
- Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) 34
- Peshmerga 36
- Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) 37
- 1.5. Impact of the security situation on civilian population 38
- Security incidents 40
- Number and type of security incidents 40
- Type of weapons and tactics used 44
- Civilian casualties 44
- Conflict-related infrastructure damage and explosive remnants of war 50
- Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) / Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) and landmines 51
- Conflict-induced displacement and return 53
- 2. Security situation and conflict impact on civilians by governorates 56
- 1. 56
- 2.1. Anbar 56
- 1. 56
- 1.1. 56
- General description of governorate 56
- Armed actors’ presence and control 57
- Recent security trends 58
- Security incidents 59
- Civilian casualties 61
- Conflict-related infrastructure damage and explosive remnants of war 61
- Conflict-induced displacement and return 62
- 2.2. Babil 63
- General description of governorate 63
- Armed actors’ presence and control 64
- Recent security trends 64
- Security incidents 65
- Civilian casualties 66
- Conflict-related infrastructure damage and explosive remnants of war 66
- Conflict-induced displacement and return 67
- 2.3. Baghdad 68
- General description of governorate 68
- Armed actors’ presence and control 69
- Recent security trends 72
- Security incidents 75
- Civilian casualties 76
- Conflict-related infrastructure damage and explosive remnants of war 76
- Conflict-induced displacement and return 76
- 2.4. Diyala 77
- General description of governorate 77
- Armed actors’ presence and control 78
- Recent security trends 79
- Security incidents 81
- Civilian casualties 82
- Conflict-related infrastructure damage and explosive remnants of war 83
- Conflict-induced displacement and return 84
- 2.5. Kirkuk 84
- General description of governorate 85
- Armed actors’ presence and control 85
- Recent security trends 86
- Security incidents 88
- Civilian casualties 89
- Conflict-related infrastructure damage and explosive remnants of war 90
- Conflict-induced displacement and return 90
- 2.6. Ninewa 91
- General description of governorate 91
- Armed actors’ presence and control 92
- Recent security trends 94
- Security incidents 95
- Civilian casualties 96
- Conflict-related infrastructure damage and explosive remnants of war 96
- Conflict-induced displacement and return 97
- 2.7. Salah Al-Din 98
- General description of governorate 98
- Armed actors’ presence and control 99
- Recent security trends 100
- Security incidents 101
- Civilian casualties 102
- Conflict-related infrastructure damage and explosive remnants of war 103
- Conflict-induced displacement and return 103
- 2.8. Dohuk 104
- General description of governorate 104
- Armed actors’ presence and control 105
- Recent security trends 106
- Security incidents 107
- Civilian casualties 108
- Conflict-related infrastructure damage and explosive remnants of war 109
- Conflict-induced displacement and return 109
- 2.9. Erbil 110
- General description of governorate 111
- Armed actors’ presence and control 111
- Recent security trends 112
- Security incidents 113
- Civilian casualties 114
- Conflict-related infrastructure damage and explosive remnants of war 115
- Conflict-induced displacement and return 116
- 2.10. Sulaymaniyah 116
- General description of governorate 117
- Armed actors’ presence and control 117
- Recent security trends 118
- Security incidents 119
- Civilian casualties 120
- Conflict-related infrastructure damage and explosive remnants of war 121
- Conflict-induced displacement and return 122
- 2.11. Basrah 122
- General description of governorate 122
- Armed actors’ presence and control 123
- Recent security trends 124
- Security incidents 126
- Civilian casualties 127
- Conflict-related infrastructure damage and explosive remnants of war 127
- Conflict-induced displacement and return 128
- 2.12. Karbala 128
- General description of governorate 129
- Armed actors’ presence and control 129
- Recent security trends 130
- Security incidents 130
- Civilian casualties 131
- Conflict-related infrastructure damage and explosive remnants of war 131
- Conflict-induced displacement and return 131
- 2.13. Missan 132
- General description of governorate 132
- Armed actors’ presence and control 133
- Recent security trends 133
- Security incidents 135
- Civilian casualties 136
- Conflict-related infrastructure damage and explosive remnants of war 136
- Conflict-induced displacement and return 136
- 2.14. Muthanna 137
- General description of governorate 137
- Armed actors’ presence and control 138
- Recent security trends 138
- Security incidents 139
- Civilian casualties 140
- Conflict-related infrastructure damage and explosive remnants of war 141
- Conflict-induced displacement and return 141
- 2.15. Najaf 142
- General description of governorate 142
- Armed actors’ presence and control 143
- Recent security trends 143
- Security incidents 144
- Civilian casualties 145
- Conflict-related infrastructure damage and explosive remnants of war 146
- Conflict-induced displacement and return 146
- 2.16. Qadissiya 147
- General description of governorate 147
- Armed actors’ presence and control 148
- Recent security trends 149
- Security incidents 149
- Civilian casualties 150
- Conflict-related infrastructure damage and explosive remnants of war 150
- Conflict-induced displacement and return 151
- 2.17. Thi-Qar 151
- General description of governorate 151
- Armed actors’ presence and control 152
- Recent security trends 153
- Security incidents 156
- Civilian casualties 157
- Conflict-related infrastructure damage and explosive remnants of war 157
- Conflict-induced displacement and return 158
- 2.18. Wassit 159
- General description of governorate 159
- Armed actors’ presence and control 160
- Recent security trends 160
- Security incidents 161
- Civilian casualties 162
- Conflict-related infrastructure damage and explosive remnants of war 162
- Conflict-induced displacement and return 163
- Annex 1: Bibliography 164
- Public sources 164
- Annex 2: Terms of Reference 234
