IRAN WAR NEWS 9-24-26

Top 10 Iraq War Developments — Past 24 Hours
September 24, 2026

PM Ali al-Zaidi has pushed the internal target for full weapons handover from armed factions to June 30, 2027, even as the Sept 30, 2026 deadline for ending the US-led coalition’s military mission stays in place
A Coordination Framework source warns a rigid deadline “could disrupt” ongoing negotiations with faction leaders
Compliant groups (Sadr’s Saraya al-Salam, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Kataib Imam Ali) have begun handing weapons to the state; hardliners (Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat al-Nujaba, Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada) refuse absent full US withdrawal guarantees
Source: Shafaq News — https://www.shafaq.com/en/Report/Iraq-s-September-30-weapons-deadline-leaves-terms-of-disarmament-unresolved

Erdogan and PM al-Zaidi agreed at the UN General Assembly that Turkish forces will gradually transfer the base near Mosul — held since 2015 with about 600 troops — to Iraqi federal control
Deal also commits both sides to restoring state authority in Sinjar and removing “illegal foreign armed elements”
US special envoy Tom Barrack praised the agreement as serving both Iraqi sovereignty and Turkish security
Source: Turkish Minute — https://www.turkishminute.com/2026/09/24/turkey-to-hand-over-military-base-to-iraq/

Iraqi PM Ali al-Zaidi and US President Trump discussed bilateral political, economic and investment ties in New York
Talks covered “joint efforts to enhance regional and international security and stability”
Follows Trump’s July White House meeting with al-Zaidi, where he touted new oil and investment partnerships
Source: Hatha Alyoum — https://en.hathalyoum.net/articles/297882

Sept 10-11 drone attacks on pump stations of Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline were traced to launch sites in Iraq’s Maysan province, halting roughly 4 million barrels/day of flow
PM al-Zaidi removed the Maysan Operations Command commander and the provincial police chief; no group has claimed responsibility and several Iraqi factions deny involvement
The incident, alongside Houthi territorial gains around Bab al-Mandeb, is fueling analyst warnings that the US-Iran war (ongoing since Feb 28, 2026) is spilling further into Iraq and the Red Sea
Source: Shafaq News — https://www.shafaq.com/en/Report/Iran-war-spreads-to-Iraq-and-Red-Sea-as-regional-risks-mount

Krikor Der-Hagopian has been formally named Iraq’s ambassador to Washington, after being nominated in June 2026
He becomes the first ethnic Armenian Christian to hold the post
Appointment comes as Baghdad courts Washington on security and economic ties ahead of the coalition withdrawal deadline
Source: The Armenian Mirror-Spectator — https://mirrorspectator.com/2026/09/24/der-hagopian-named-iraqs-new-ambassador-to-us/

Security forces engaged Islamic State militants in the Hamrin Mountains of Saladin province Thursday after detecting suspicious movement
No casualty or damage figures were immediately available; troops pursued the militants and launched follow-up search operations
Follows a Sept 12 airstrike on three ISIS positions in the same mountain range and the closure of fishing on nearby Lake Hamrin over militant boat use and abduction attempts
Source: Hatha Alyoum — https://en.hathalyoum.net/articles/298173

The PMF’s 55th Brigade emergency unit reported finding mortar rounds and equipment in the western Anbar desert allegedly prepared for use against military barracks and positions
No suspects identified and no arrests announced; materials were turned over to relevant authorities
Source: Hatha Alyoum — https://en.hathalyoum.net/articles/298118

Iraq’s National Security Service reported executing 1,568 judicial arrest warrants across Baghdad and other provinces since the operation launched Aug 23
Breakdown: 553 extortion/threats, 195 fraud, 194 drug-related, 54 terrorism, 54 for promoting the banned Baath Party
Authorities say warrant enforcement will continue beyond this operation
Source: Hatha Alyoum — https://en.hathalyoum.net/articles/298122

Four documented ISIS operations between Sept 3-23: three IED attacks on Iraqi security forces and one strike that destroyed a thermal surveillance system south of Kirkuk
Activity had remained “very low” through most of 2026 before this September rise
Analysts characterize it as evidence of “persistence, not yet recovery” among residual IS cells rather than a resurgence
Source: Daniele Garofalo Monitoring — https://www.danielegarofalomonitoring.com/p/islamic-state-activity-in-iraq-shows

KRG leaders Masrour Barzani, Nechirvan Barzani and Qubad Talabani announced on Sept 21 the unification of Peshmerga forces under the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs, ending the historic KDP/PUK party-line split
Consolidates Force 70 and Force 80 (over 100,000 personnel) into unified First and Second regional commands after a four-year process
Move coincides with the US troop withdrawal and Baghdad’s push to disarm militias elsewhere in Iraq
Source: FDD’s Long War Journal — https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2026/09/kurdistan-region-of-iraq-announces-peshmerga-unification.php