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Draft Agreement Between 2 Ruling Parties in Iraq’s Kurdistan

Iraqi security forces enter the center of Kirkuk Province, Oct. 16, 2017. (Photo: AFP)
Iraqi security forces enter the center of Kirkuk Province, Oct. 16, 2017. (Photo: AFP)
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Draft Agreement Between 2 Ruling Parties in Iraq’s Kurdistan

Iraqi security forces enter the center of Kirkuk Province, Oct. 16, 2017. (Photo: AFP)
Iraqi security forces enter the center of Kirkuk Province, Oct. 16, 2017. (Photo: AFP)

The joint committees established by the two ruling parties of the Kurdistan Region drafted a new understanding between the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) outlining a common agreement on several political, administrative, military, economic and even social issues in the region.

“The draft agreement is still under revision and discussion between the leaderships of both parties,” spokesman for the PUK Saadi Ahmad Bira told Asharq Al-Awsat on Tuesday, saying both sides are set to sign it agreement soon to replace the “Strategic Agreement” inked between the two parties in 2006.

The new agreement aims to stabilize Kurdistan and strengthen its position in the region and could largely contribute in dissipating tension between the two sides.

In response to the Kurdistan Region’s independence referendum, Iraqi forces and Popular Mobilization Forces mobilized in 2016 against the Kurdish Peshmerga in Kirkuk and other disputed areas, ousting the Kurdish forces that had previously fought alongside them in the war against ISIS.

Former PUK member Areez Abdullah told Asharq Al-Awsat, “If implemented, the deal should open a new horizons for cooperation and joint coordination between the two sides, particularly at the administrative level. It should also solve disputes between the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad, in addition to several controversial issues between the PUK and KDP.

Abdullah added that most of the clauses of the agreement, which is expected to be signed on Feb. 18, aim to establish a transparent regime in the Kurdistan Region.

The draft of the PUK-KDP deal includes 18 points. It calls on both parties to work as one team in parliament and the government, either in the Kurdistan Region or in the federal government of Iraq and to follow the highest level of transparency in financial issues.

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Arab World

Moving ISIS Prisoners from Syria to Iraq Came at the Request of Baghdad, Officials Say

Local youth play atop of a damaged armored vehicle belonging to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) at the site of clashes with Syrian government forces in the village of al-Hol in northeastern Syria’s Hasakeh province, Syria, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Local youth play atop of a damaged armored vehicle belonging to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) at the site of clashes with Syrian government forces in the village of al-Hol in northeastern Syria’s Hasakeh province, Syria, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
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Moving ISIS Prisoners from Syria to Iraq Came at the Request of Baghdad, Officials Say

Local youth play atop of a damaged armored vehicle belonging to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) at the site of clashes with Syrian government forces in the village of al-Hol in northeastern Syria’s Hasakeh province, Syria, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Local youth play atop of a damaged armored vehicle belonging to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) at the site of clashes with Syrian government forces in the village of al-Hol in northeastern Syria’s Hasakeh province, Syria, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

The decision to move prisoners of the ISIS group from northeast Syria to detention centers in Iraq came after a request by officials in Baghdad that was welcomed by the US-led coalition and the Syrian government, officials said Thursday.

American and Iraqi officials told The Associated Press about the Iraqi request, a day after the US military said that it started transferring some of the 9,000 ISIS detainees held in more than a dozen detention centers in northeast Syria controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, in northeast Syria.

The move to start transferring the detainees came after Syrian government forces took control of the sprawling al-Hol camp — which houses thousands of mostly women and children — from the SDF, which withdrew as part of a ceasefire. Troops on Monday seized a prison in the northeastern town of Shaddadeh, where some ISIS detainees escaped and many were recaptured, state media reported.

The SDF said Thursday that government forces shelled al-Aqtan prison near the northern city of Raqqa with heavy weapons, while simultaneously imposing a siege around the prison using tanks and deployed fighters.

Al-Aqtan prison, where some ISIS prisoners are held, was surrounded by government forces earlier this week and negotiations were ongoing on the future of the detention facility.

With the push by government forces into northeast Syria along the border with Iraq, there have been concerns in Baghdad that some of the detainees might become danger to Iraq’s security, if they manage to flee from the detention centers amid the chaos.

An Iraqi security official said that the decision to transfer the prisoners from Syria to Iraq was an Iraqi decision, welcomed by the US-led coalition and the Syrian government. The official added that it was in Iraq’s security interest to detain them in Iraqi prisons rather than leaving them in Syria.

Also Thursday, a senior US military official confirmed to the AP that Iraq “offered proactively” to take the ISIS prisoners rather than the US requesting it of them.

Both the Iraqi and US officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to comment publicly.

Over the past several years, the SDF has handed over to Iraqi authorities foreign fighters, including French citizens, who were put on trial and received sentences.

The SDF still controls more than a dozen detention facilities holding around 9,000 ISIS members, but is slated to hand the prisons over to government control under a peace process that also is supposed to eventually merge the SDF with government forces.

US Central Command said that the first transfer on Wednesday involved 150 ISIS members, who were taken from Syria’s northeastern province of Hassakeh to “secure locations” in Iraq. The statement said that up to 7,000 detainees could be transferred to Iraqi-controlled facilities.

ISIS declared a caliphate in 2014 in large parts of Syria and Iraq, attracting large numbers of fighters from around the world. The group was defeated in Iraq in 2017, and in Syria two years later, but its sleeper cells still carry out deadly attacks in both countries. The SDF played a major role in defeating ISIS.

Arab World

Yemen: Coalition Steps Up Engagement with Aden’s Civil Society

Coalition to Restore Legitimacy oversees the normalization of life and improvement of services in Aden (Government Media) 
Coalition to Restore Legitimacy oversees the normalization of life and improvement of services in Aden (Government Media) 
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Yemen: Coalition Steps Up Engagement with Aden’s Civil Society

Coalition to Restore Legitimacy oversees the normalization of life and improvement of services in Aden (Government Media) 
Coalition to Restore Legitimacy oversees the normalization of life and improvement of services in Aden (Government Media) 

Amid rapidly evolving developments on the ground led by the leadership of the Coalition Forces to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, efforts are continuing to normalize life in Aden, the country’s temporary capital, within a comprehensive vision aimed at restoring the city’s civil character and strengthening the role of the state and its service and security institutions.

Major General Falah Al-Shahrani, adviser to the Coalition Forces to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, has intensified meetings with representatives of civil sectors, activists, and media professionals, seeking to build broad partnerships with Aden’s community and expand participation in shaping and implementing a plan to restore the city’s civil identity after years of conflict.

Alongside the daily follow-up of plans to remove military camps from Aden and restructure and integrate security units, the adviser to the joint forces is giving particular priority to basic services—especially electricity and water—viewed as a practical gateway to restoring public trust and improving living standards.

Al-Shahrani has also been holding regular meetings with journalists, activists, and community figures, listening to their views on the challenges facing the city and the aspirations of its residents in this new phase. Many hope this stage will restore Aden’s economic, cultural, and social standing as one of the oldest cities that embodied values of coexistence and openness.

Participants in these meetings stressed the importance of granting Aden’s residents a greater and more meaningful role in decision-making, noting that they had suffered marginalization in previous periods and that any successful plan to restore the city’s civil character must begin with their inclusion as direct stakeholders.

They also emphasized the need to give top priority to the education sector, describing it as the cornerstone of reconstruction and sustainable development and the primary foundation for rebuilding civic awareness and entrenching a culture of the rule of law.

Participants further called for directing support toward sustainable projects, foremost among them the rehabilitation of buildings damaged by the Houthi invasion of the city in 2015, given the direct impact of such projects on residents’ lives in terms of housing, services, and economic activity.

They noted that discussions with Al-Shahrani were marked by seriousness and transparency, reflecting the Coalition leadership’s determination to listen directly to public concerns beyond rigid official frameworks.

They affirmed that they sensed a genuine commitment and a clear vision to rebuild what the war had destroyed in Aden and other liberated provinces, in parallel with efforts to consolidate security and stability.

 

 

 

 

Arab World

US Transfers ISIS Detainees from Syria to Iraq

 US soldiers at a military base north of Baghdad (Reuters – archive photo) 
 US soldiers at a military base north of Baghdad (Reuters – archive photo) 
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US Transfers ISIS Detainees from Syria to Iraq

 US soldiers at a military base north of Baghdad (Reuters – archive photo) 
 US soldiers at a military base north of Baghdad (Reuters – archive photo) 

US Central Command has launched a new operation to transfer ISIS detainees from northeastern Syria to Iraq, aiming to ensure that they remain in secure detention facilities and to reduce the risk of instability.

The operation began with the transfer of 150 ISIS militants from a detention facility in Hasakah, Syria, to a secure site in Iraq. US officials say the number of detainees moved from Syria to Iraqi-controlled prisons could eventually reach about 7,000.

Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command, said: “We are closely coordinating with regional partners, including the Iraqi government, and we sincerely appreciate their role in ensuring the enduring defeat of ISIS.

“Facilitating the orderly and secure transfer of ISIS detainees is critical to preventing a breakout that would pose a direct threat to the United States and regional security.”

According to Reuters, the move follows the rapid collapse of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in northeastern Syria, which raised doubts about the security of roughly a dozen prisons and detention camps previously guarded by the group.

US officials also discussed the situation with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, focusing on ongoing tensions in Syria, the need for government forces to respect ceasefire arrangements with the Syrian Democratic Forces, and support for the coordinated transfer of ISIS detainees to Iraq.

The US side outlined plans to relocate thousands of detainees in a controlled manner and urged all parties to avoid actions that could disrupt the process.

An Iraqi official told Asharq Al-Awsat that the transfer would help ease growing concerns about possible escapes. He added that holding the detainees in prisons supervised by the Iraqi government, in direct coordination with the United States, would significantly reduce the chances of ISIS rebuilding its capabilities.

Syrian media reported that security forces recently arrested 90 group members who had escaped from al-Shaddadi prison south of Hasakah. The Syrian army later announced it had taken control of the city, imposed a curfew, and launched operations to secure the area and capture fugitives.

Recent government advances, combined with what appears to be a reduction in US support for the SDF, mark the most significant shift in territorial control since the fall of Bashar al-Assad 13 months ago.

The United States said this week that the main objectives of its partnership with the SDF have largely been achieved after years of fighting ISIS.