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Thursday, January 16, 2020

Iraq Situation Report: January 10 - 13, 2020

By Brandon Wallace and Katherine Lawlor

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) is assessing the ongoing unrest in Iraq and its effects on political-security dynamics. The Iraq Situation Report (SITREP) series summarizes key events and likely developments to come. This Iraq SITREP map covers the period January 10 - 13, 2020.

Key Takeaway: Mass protests resumed across Iraq on Friday, January 10 after a lull following the U.S. strike that killed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force (IRGC-QF) Commander Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad on January 2. Protesters resumed typical chants against all foreign interference. Meanwhile, Iran is forming a new “resistance front” among its Iraqi proxies and nationalist Shi’a cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Iraqi leaders of Iranian proxy groups met in Qom, Iran, separately, with the newly appointed IRGC-QF Commander, Esmail Ghaani, and Moqtada al-Sadr on January 10 after reportedly traveling to Lebanon to meet with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Click the image to view the enlarged Iraq Situation Report Map.