MESOP Iraq Situation Report – September 9 – 10, 2015 – by: Patrick Martin & ISW Iraq Team

Key Takeaway:   PM Haidar al-Abadi continues to take actions to ensure that the government implements his reform agenda. PM Abadi announced that he dismissed 123 senior officials within a large number of ministries, all of whom held positions that are important in implementing centrally-directed policy within their respective ministerial departments. An initial review of the dismissed officials does not point to the reduction in interests of any particular party. Rather, this round of reforms appears to focus upon eliminating patronage and improving performance within the ministries. Substantive reforms will likely perpetuate demonstrators’ support for PM Abadi and limit that of his rivals, maintaining PM Abadi’s momentum against challengers while Iranian-backed militias take steps to block legislation, to pressure the Judiciary and the Presidency, and to challenge ISF control in Baghdad.

A protest group in Baghdad affiliated with Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, an Iranian proxy militia, denounced the leaders of the largely-secular protests and announced the suspension of its participation in the demonstrations on September 10. The announcement indicates that PM Abadi’s rivals participated in demonstrations and are willing to distance themselves from the movement in a bid to disrupt PM Abadi’s momentum or capture it for their own political ends. Meanwhile, the ISF continued limited forays into Ramadi from the south. ISF operations near Ramadi did not achieve new gains this week, but their operations indicate that the ISF has not reduced its primary focus upon Ramadi in response to other security threats across Iraq. A number of attacks by ISIS on Peshmerga positions in Kirkuk indicates that ISIS maintains sufficient capabilities in Kirkuk to harass Peshmerga defenses and probe for exploitable weaknesses.