Iraq’s PMF moves to fill the space left by the PKK

Relations between the PKK and the PMF have been close since August 2014, when the two groups fought ISIS militants following the group’s invasion of Sinjar and surrounding areas.

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Iraq could face new US sanctions if disarmament of Iran-backed factions fails

“The United States will not view the issue merely as an internal Iraqi political dispute. It may link it to the protection of its interests, the international financial system, regional security, and preventing Iraqi territory and institutions from being used to finance or support armed groups whose leadership does not abide by state decisions,” said Jamal Kocher, a member of the Iraqi parliament’s finance committee.

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Their day in court: Lalezar detainees testify of torture

The circumstances under which the Jangi brothers and their aides were arrested, which saw security forces in Sulaimani mount a dramatic, psuedo-military operation, have already raised questions from rights groups.

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Sulaimani’s street cleaners keep working as pay raise stalls

Earlier this year, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) set a minimum monthly wage of 450,000 Iraqi dinars, or about $305, for cleaning workers based on an eight-hour workday.

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US-Peshmerga agreement set to expire amid Coalition withdrawal 

“The US Government's financial support to the Kurdistan Regional Government for the unification of the Peshmerga forces was always intended to be temporary.  It was intended to help the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs integrate and unify the different units, and if the US Government is now ending the payment of stipends to those forces, that is almost certainly because it judges the unification effort to be complete,” Ambassador Joey Hood, the former US Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, told The New Region.

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Inside Kurdistan’s little-known police reform drive backed by EU advisors

Rondak Faris, head of the KRG’s Ministry of Interior's Leadership and Management Academy, said at the workshop that so far they developed a local training concept and strengthened the skills of local trainers, leading to the successful training of more than 10,000 police officers.

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Postponement, freezes, PMC role: Iraq mulls ideas as militia disarmament deadline nears

“The September 30 deadline will not remain fixed, and proposals for postponement are increasingly becoming a reality,” a source close to the Iraqi government told The New Region.

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Five PMF commanders arrested amid drone workshop probe

During his interrogation, the supplier of the seized workshop disclosed the names of his customers, identifying five commanders of Iran-backed armed factions as his key customers, officials said.

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Lalezar: One year on, Lahur Sheikh Jangi's trial remains stalled

Jangi, a Kurdish lawmaker and former PUK co-president, is still detained with his brother Polad and other defendants. His lawyers want the Kurdistan Region Court of Cassation in Erbil to review the case, saying the Sulaimani court is influenced by politics. The legal battle over which court should hear the case is now central to the story.

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