The Militia Digest
Kataib Hezbollah’s Hoquq bloc called on affected Iraqis Saturday to support a proposed Federal Supreme Court challenge against the cabinet’s Tuesday increase in the public dollar-selling rate to 1,520 dinars. Saud al-Saadi (KH — Hoquq) said lawmakers’ signatures were being gathered for a special parliamentary session. He called for non-dollar accounts for oil sales and cancellation of U.S.-occupation economic orders. He also demanded removal of officials’ costly privileges and cuts to proposed additional spending. Through Al-Ittijah TV (KH — official), he had denied Hoquq’s participation in the rate decision on Friday. At Saturday’s press conference, he blamed successive governments since 2003 for mismanagement and failure to fight corruption.
Al-Ittijah reported protests against the increase in Karbala on Friday. It also reported goods accumulating in Baghdad markets. Al-Janoub TV (Harakat al-Jihad wal-Bina — official) reported Basra protests and the Basra Workers’ Trade Union Federation’s demand for reversal. First Deputy Speaker Adnan Fayhan instead called the change the least harmful measure, while demanding protection for poor and middle-income households, on Al-Ahad TV (AAH — official). Economic expert Haidar al-Suhail said government remedies could not control the parallel market on the same channel. Reconstruction and Development Coalition member Hussein Karim said the government’s measures would control prices. The Trade Ministry on Saturday launched direct construction-material sales, with cash and instalment payments.
On the oil-export difficulties, Abd al-Qadir al-Karbalai (Nujaba — military deputy) argued Iraq could have avoided Hormuz problems by refusing what he called unjust American decisions, in remarks carried by Al-Ittijah Friday. Al-Janoub programme speaker Abdulrahman al-Jazaeri blamed the Finance Ministry for the dollar crisis. Answering Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, he said Iraq exports oil through Hormuz. Iranian analyst Muhammad Gharawi said giant tankers carrying Iraqi oil had crossed the strait on the same programme. He also said Iran’s oil-pipeline policy was not directed against Iraq.
Separately in Kirkuk, Unit 10,000 (KH — affiliated) reported an ISIS attack on a security post in Hawija’s Danadish sector, followed by a PMF–security-force ambush. Al-Ahad said the PMF and Federal Police had thwarted the attack, citing a security source. Sabereen News (KH — affiliated) and Al-Ghadeer TV (Badr Organization — official) reported ISIS members surrounded at al-Barghaliya by the PMF, special forces and rapid-response forces. Al-Nujaba TV (Nujaba — official) reported the encirclement continuing in Kirkuk Saturday. The New Region’s account placed the initial attack at an army checkpoint and the subsequent half-hour clash at al-Burghaliya. It reported ISIS members dead and wounded, with no Iraqi-force casualties.
Separately, Rafiq al-Salihi (AAH — Sadiqoun MP) reaffirmed the bloc’s support for passing the PMF Commission service-and-retirement law Friday. Al-Ahad described intensive parliamentary efforts for passage, following the cabinet’s 30 September referral. Legal expert Ali al-Tamimi said the proposed law covered Commission structure and members’ retirement service. He said retirement-age legislation would settle the Commission chief’s tenure. He also said parliamentary questioning still applied despite the Commission’s independence. Political analyst Jasim al-Ghurabi called the government’s submission a challenge to the U.S. administration, also on Al-Ahad.