While much of the world has been struggling to respond to the fallout from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Islamic State has been quietly ramping up attacks in both Iraq and Syria| The Soufan Center
The June 18 rocket attack targeting the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad was the fifth attack in a ten-day period targeting installations where U.S. forces and government personnel operate.| The Soufan Center
The government of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi resigned in December 2019 in the face of sustained protests by mainstream Shias and other groups over government incompetence, corruption, and the failure to address Iraq’s economic weaknesses| The Soufan Center
On May 7, 2020, Iraq’s Council of Representatives (CoR) approved a new government headed by Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who has been serving as the head of Iraq’s National Intelligence Service (NIS)| The Soufan Center
Since his inauguration in May, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has had an uneasy relationship with the several Shia militias that are formally part of the government’s ‘Popular Mobilization Units’ (PMUs), but in practice still report to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Qods Force (IRGC-QF)| The Soufan Center