Iraq: Katyusha Targets House of Anti-Corruption Official


Iraqi soldiers stand on a truck in Sinjar (AP)
Iraqi soldiers stand on a truck in Sinjar (AP)
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Iraq: Katyusha Targets House of Anti-Corruption Official


Iraqi soldiers stand on a truck in Sinjar (AP)
Iraqi soldiers stand on a truck in Sinjar (AP)

The Iraqi Federal Intelligence and Investigations Agency announced that a Katyusha rocket targeted the home of the Interior Ministry’s Undersecretary for Intelligence.

The agency issued a statement announcing that the house of Lt-Gen Ahmed Abu Ragheef was targeted by a Katyusha rocket in Baghdad’s Karrada area on Wednesday morning.

Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi had assigned Abu Ragheef to chair the national supreme anti-corruption committee.

The Interior Ministry said that it was a failed attempt, and the attack had only damaged the fence of the house, adding that the site of the launchpad has been determined and the perpetrators will be brought to justice.

The committee has sparked widespread controversy being the only body to arrest dozens of persons involved in corruption charges, including senior officials.

Political observers believe that Abu Ragheef became a target of the corrupt mafias targeting him and undermining his committee before the public.

A large explosion shook large parts of Baghdad on Wednesday after a locally-made Katyusha rocket fell on Abu Nawas Street on the Tigris River, opposite the Green Zone.

Security sources indicated that the missile was set to target the Green Zone but missed it and landed on an apartment building without causing any significant casualties.

On Wednesday, the Security Media Cell statement stated that the rocket was launched from east of Baghdad, near the al-Amana neighborhood.

The security forces arrested a suspect near Muzaffar Square, east of the capital.

The Green Zone, which hosts government and parliament buildings, many diplomatic missions, most notably the US embassy, and the houses of several senior Iraqi officials, has often been targeted by dozens of missiles landing in empty lots or on civilian homes.



Erbil Increases Pressure on Baghdad Amid Ongoing Salary Dispute

A session of the Kurdistan Regional Parliament (AFP)
A session of the Kurdistan Regional Parliament (AFP)
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Erbil Increases Pressure on Baghdad Amid Ongoing Salary Dispute

A session of the Kurdistan Regional Parliament (AFP)
A session of the Kurdistan Regional Parliament (AFP)

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani prepares to visit Baghdad this week to attend a meeting of the State Administration Coalition, according to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) spokesperson, Delshad Shihab.

Meanwhile, KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani criticized the federal government’s treatment of the region as “unacceptable.”

The State Administration Coalition, a political and parliamentary bloc, includes the Shiite Coordination Framework alongside Sunni and Kurdish parties supporting Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s government. Despite their backing, Sunni and Kurdish factions have voiced frustrations over unfulfilled promises in the “political agreement document,” citing persistent disputes among political factions as the cause.

The worsening salary crisis has become a significant issue for the KRG, drawing public criticism from citizens. While Erbil insists that salary payments are an undeniable right, Baghdad has linked them to broader conditions, including Kurdistan’s obligation to hand over oil revenues, customs fees, and border checkpoint revenues to the federal government.

Despite occasional financial transfers from Baghdad under Sudani’s government—every two to three months—the payments have been insufficient to resolve the crisis in Kurdistan. Nechirvan Barzani’s upcoming visit to Baghdad aims to present a stronger Kurdish position. However, internal divisions between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), led by Masoud Barzani, and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), led by Bafel Talabani, as well as opposition from smaller Kurdish parties, weaken Erbil’s ability to assert its demands.

In preparation for Barzani’s visit, the KRG convened an “extraordinary” meeting on Saturday to forge a unified stance on its negotiations with Baghdad, in the presence of KRG representatives in Baghdad and leaders of Kurdish parliamentary blocs.

“The federal government’s treatment of the Kurdistan Region does not align with its status as a federal entity,” the prime minister said during the meeting.

He also accused the Iraqi authorities of selectively adhering to federal court rulings, stating: “The government only implements court decisions when they are against the Kurdistan Region’s interests.”

While it remains unclear how Baghdad will respond following the State Administration Coalition meeting, a KRG spokesperson hinted at the possibility of Kurdish blocs withdrawing from the federal government in protest over the salary crisis. However, achieving a unified Kurdish stance on such a significant decision remains uncertain due to internal disagreements among Kurdish parties.