Kurdish Policy Analysis

By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj Sulaimani, Iraqi Kurdistan — 31 May 2026  Executive Summary Iraq stands at a potentially historic crossroads. Recent decisions by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to integrate Saraya al-Salam into official state institutions have triggered a broader debate about the future of armed groups operating within Iraq. While Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi's government has moved to establish mechanisms for implementing the integration process, major factions within the Iraqi Resistance Front have publicly rejected any discussion of surrendering their weapons. These competing responses reveal the central security challenge confronting Iraq in 2026: the unresolved relationship between state authority and non-state armed actors. Muqtada al-Sadr's decision to fold Saraya al-Salam into state institutions has reopened the most consequential question in Iraqi politics: can Baghdad finally subordinate armed factions to national authority, or will competing centers of powe...

Iraq’s Iran-Backed Militias Split Apart: Five Groups Ready to Disarm as Kataib Hezbollah Defies Baghdad and Washington By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj Sulaimani, Iraqi Kurdistan — 27 May 2026 As Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi forms a new government under intense US pressure, major Shiite armed factions appear willing to surrender weapons to the Iraqi state — but hardline groups aligned closest to Iran are refusing, exposing deep fractures inside Iraq’s powerful militia network. In Iraq, with the arrival of a new government led by Ali al-Zaidi, there is talk of five Iraqi factions intending to disarm and hand over their weapons to the state, while two factions, al-Nujaba and Kataib Hezbollah, refuse. Iraq... Five Factions Move to Disarm, Two Refuse: In Response to US Conditions Sources close to the "Coordination Framework" forces and the factions operating under its umbrella report that five armed factions do not object to disarming and handing over their weapons to the Iraqi governm...

Iraq Becomes Drone War Battlefield as Iran-Backed Militias Strike Gulf States. Five Hundred drone attacks from Iraqi territory hit Saudi Arabia and beyond, raising fears of a hidden regional war spiraling out of control By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj, SULAIMANI,   Kurdish Policy Analysis , April 21--  Iraqi militia groups close to Iran have fired dozens of drones at Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries during the war; This has created a “silent” war in the midst of the Great War. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, half of the 1,000 drone strikes against Saudi Arabia were from within Iraqi territory. The report cited a Saudi security assessment that said the attacks targeted sensitive positions, including the Yanbu refinery on the Red Sea and oil fields in eastern Saudi Arabia. The report said the drones hit not only Saudi Arabia, but also Kuwait's only civilian airport. Even after US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire earlier this...

  Drone strikes, regional spillover, and Baghdad’s limited response expose growing concerns over militia power and the future of U.S.–Iraq relations.  Iraq Is at Another Crossroads with Iran-Backed Militias—and Washington Kurdish Policy Analysis  /  ERBIL — Iraq is once again facing a turning moment as escalating attacks by Iran-backed militias test the authority of the state and complicate relations with the United States. Since mid-March, factions within the Popular Mobilization Forces —including Kataib Hezbollah —have intensified drone and missile operations targeting Iraqi Kurdistan, U.S. facilities, and regional infrastructure. A March 28 drone strike on the residence of Nechirvan Barzani in Duhok underscored the widening scope of the conflict. The attacks are part of a broader escalation tied to regional tensions involving Iran , with militias launching strikes not only inside Iraq but also toward neighboring states and U.S. interests across the region. A Fa...

Leaders blame Iran-linked groups after deadly strike on civilian home, demand Baghdad act as attacks on Kurdistan surge ERBIL, Kurdistan Region, Kurdish Policy Analysis - Kurdish leaders on Tuesday condemned a drone strike in Erbil that killed a married couple, labeling it a “terrorist attack” and calling on Baghdad to prevent armed groups from targeting the Region and its civilians. An explosive-laden drone attack “launched from Iran” killed a married couple in Erbil province early Tuesday, according to a statement from the Kurdistan Region’s Counter-Terrorism Service (CTG). Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, in a statement, strongly condemned “the terrorist attack” and extended condolences to the victims’ families. “These attacks are in no way acceptable and are completely rejected.” “The Iraqi federal government must fulfill its duty and responsibility to prevent these crimes and terrorist attacks, and these assaults on the civilian and innocent people of the Kurdistan Re...

  Growing wave of drone strikes targeting homes and businesses raises fears of shifting tactics in Kurdistan Region ERBIL, April 3 ( Kurdish Policy Analysis ) – A drone strike hit a house in Erbil’s Karezan neighborhood just moments ago, damaging what appears to be a civilian residence in a densely populated area, according to footage and local sources, in an incident that underscores a troubling rise in unexplained attacks across the Kurdistan Region. Video circulating from the scene shows damage to a modest home in a residential district, with no immediate indication that the site was linked to military or security activity. The identity of the occupants remains unclear. The strike comes amid what analysts describe as a growing pattern of drone attacks targeting civilian-linked properties , including homes and business interests, marking a potential shift in tactics by unidentified actors operating in the region. Security officials have yet to publicly attribute responsibility f...

Drone Strikes Escalate as Militias Target Kurdistan Region Leadership   The Scene of the suicide drone that attacked Iraqi Kurdistan Region's President Nechirvan Barzani's house in Duhok. Sulaimanyah, Iraq, March 28 Kurdish Policy Analysis –   Sulaimanyah, Iraq – The Kurdistan Region of Iraq is facing a renewed wave of drone attacks as the residence of President Nechirvan Barzani in Duhok was targeted again last night, marking a serious escalation in violence against the autonomous region. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) condemned the attack, with Prime Minister Masrour Barzani stating: "I condemn and denounce in the strongest terms the cowardly drone attack on the residence of Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region, in Duhok. Once again, we call on the federal government to act on its responsibilities, bring these outlaw criminals to justice, and curb the continued terrorist attacks carried out by these groups. I also call on the international co...

SMOKE RISES from the site of a drone crash on the outskirts of Erbil, Iraq, March 12, 2026.  (photo credit:   REUTERS/KHALID AL-MOUSILY )   Iran‑Backed Militias Escalate Strikes on Iraq’s Kurdistan, Raising Regional Tensions ERBIL, Iraq Kurdish Policy Analysis  — Iran‑aligned militia forces have launched over 450 attacks on the autonomous Kurdistan Region since the outbreak of the Iran war, using drones and rockets in a sustained campaign that has killed at least 14 people and wounded dozens more, local media and officials said on Thursday. The strikes, occurring almost daily, have hit military and civilian infrastructure, including hotels, urban neighborhoods, and diplomatic sites, as well as U.S. facilities and forces stationed in northern Iraq’s Erbil. Local Kurdish and Iraqi sources report residential areas have also been struck, highlighting the expanding geographic and tactical scope of the campaign. Tehran’s use of Iraqi militia proxies, some formally int...

Kurdistan tried to stay neutral. Now it’s under missile attack ERBIL, Kurdistan Region, March 24  — Six Iranian ballistic missile strike on a Peshmerga base in Erbil province killed six fighters and wounded 30 others early Tuesday, according to the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga Ministry, marking a dangerous escalation after days of drone and missile attacks. In an official statement , the ministry said the casualties resulted from “Iranian ballistic missiles” striking its Area Command One headquarters in the Soran administration of Erbil province. Six Kurdistan  Regional Government  Peshmerga  were killed early on Tuesday when missiles targeted their base. The missiles were likely fired by Iran or Iranian proxies in Iraq. Iran has a network of  Iranian-backed militias in Iraq.  These groups nominally come under government control as paramilitaries of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). They are also called Hashd al-Sha’abi. Iran and its  proxies ...