Iraq Situation Report: February 13 - 19, 2020

ISW is assessing the ongoing unrest and its effects on political-security dynamics in Iraq. The Iraq Situation Report (SITREP) map series summarizes key events and likely developments to come. The following SITREP map covers the period February 13 - 19, 2020. 

Key Takeaway: Iran’s proxy network is escalating its anti-U.S. campaign. The proxy network is likely responsible for a rocket attack on February 13 that targeted the same military base in Kirkuk Province where Katai’b Hezbollah killed a U.S. contractor in December 2019. An Iranian proxy leader and U.S.-designated terrorist, Akram al-Kaabi, announced during a speech in Tehran on February 14 that all of the “resistance” has shifted to an offensive phase of anti-U.S. operations. The United States directly intervened in the process of Allawi’s cabinet formation by sending high-level officials to meet or urge competing Iraqi power brokers – Sunni, Kurdish, and Shi’a – to force consensus in support of Allawi’s premiership.

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