The Daily Digest

More than 50 MPs have begun collecting signatures to review the suspension of Iranian flights, MP Abbas al-Ulayawi said after a meeting; he expects more than 100 to join. Three Iraqi airports suspended Iranian flights on Friday, and Baghdad is seeking US exemptions to restore some civilian services. An unnamed source told Shafaq News that Iraq’s four presidencies would discuss the restrictions later today, alongside steps to place faction weapons under state control. That is a reported agenda, not an agreed weapons-control measure. Separately, 964media reported that Harakat al-Nujaba called for a sit-in outside Najaf airport at 5 p.m. later today. Al-Nujaba TV (Nujaba — official) carried an appeal attributed to Najaf residents that did not name the faction as organizer; Al-Janoub TV (Harakat al-Jihad wal-Bina — official) captioned footage as Basra tribes demanding reversal. On weapons, Ali al-Asadi (Nujaba — Political Council head) set conditions under which resistance would lose its justification, not a commitment to hand over Nujaba’s arms. The four presidencies are reported to be planning a discussion before the coalition mission’s scheduled end on 30 September, but no faction has confirmed a handover.

The Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga Ministry said Baghdad is responsible for protecting the Region’s airspace as US and coalition forces prepare to withdraw on 30 September. The ministry said its forces remain prepared, but it is concerned about a withdrawal without an air-defense system. It said more than 1,000 drones and ballistic missiles had targeted the Region during the conflict between the United States and Iran. Kurdistan Democratic Party president Masoud Barzani separately warned that the withdrawal could leave Iraq vulnerable to an ISIS return, while acknowledging that conditions differ from those of 2011. Iraqi air force commander Khalid al-Tamimi said the force now conducts its missions independently of the coalition. Baghdad has set a four-day holiday beginning on 30 September to mark the expected end of the coalition mission.

Iraqi and Syrian border officials agreed on Sunday to establish direct electronic communication between their crossings at Rabia, Waleed and Qaim. Iraq’s border ports commission spokesperson Alaa al-Din al-Qaisi said the two sides would exchange customs data and coordinate on obstacles to trade. They also agreed to resume passenger traffic at Waleed once passport halls and roads are completed; the work is expected to finish at the beginning of next year. The crossing is already receiving petrol trucks from Syria’s Baniyas port, according to al-Rutba district administrator Emad al-Rishawi. Syria’s Petroleum Company said it had dispatched two convoys, of 10 and 55 tankers. The arrivals move Iraq’s fuel supply effort beyond loading at Baniyas, but do not establish delivery to filling stations.

Iraqi counterterrorism forces killed two ISIS militants and captured a third in an operation near Pirde in Kirkuk province on Sunday, the Security Media Cell said. A civilian was killed and two counterterrorism personnel were wounded in the clash. Security Media Cell head Saad Maan said two of the militants wore explosive belts and that the arrested man had transported ISIS members. The Counter-Terrorism Service said its forces conducted the operation under a judicial order.

Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission said Starlink’s licence is official and that its first subscriptions have been activated. Baligh Abu Kalal, head of the commission’s executive authority, said regulators can identify active terminals and their owners through a direct link with the company. He rejected claims that Iraqi users’ data is held in Qatar, but acknowledged that Starlink has no gateway in Iraq yet. The commission is negotiating to install one earlier than the two-year wait the company had proposed. Communications Minister Mustafa Sanad said in August that Iraqi traffic was routed through Qatar; the regulator’s statement concerns data control while acknowledging that traffic currently reaches gateways outside Iraq.