Top 10 Iraq War Developments — Past 24 Hours
Date: October 12, 2026
NOTE: Wire coverage in the strict last 24 hours was limited to a handful of items (see #1-#4, all dated Oct 11-12). To give a fuller and honest picture of “the ongoing Iraq war / conflict situation,” items #5-#10 below are the most recent prior developments (roughly the past 4-12 days) still actively shaping the story. Each item’s actual date is noted in its headline.
- Kurdistan President Barzani: Iraq “should not be a threat” to Gulf states, backs nationwide disarmament push (Oct 12)
- Speaking at the MERI Forum in Erbil, KRG President Nechirvan Barzani endorsed PM Ali al-Zaidi’s push to put all weapons in Iraq under state control.
- Said Iraq must build bilateral security ties now that the US-led coalition has withdrawn, and should never threaten Gulf states.
- Said Kurdistan still lacks air defenses after repeated drone/missile attacks and named the Iran-blockaded Strait of Hormuz as the top economic threat facing Iraq.
- Source: The National — https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/10/12/iraq-should-not-pose-threat-to-gulf-states-president-of-kurdistan-region-says
- Iraqi F-16s destroy ISIS hideout in Diyala province (Sun., Oct 11)
- Iraq’s Security Media Cell said F-16 jets carried out two strikes on an ISIS hideout in the Nareen area, within the Diyala Operations Command sector.
- The strike destroyed the target; part of intensified Iraqi-led counter-ISIS operations since the US withdrawal.
- Source: The Jerusalem Post — https://jpost.com/middle-east/article-911425
- Iraqi forces air-assault six suspected ISIS hideouts near Kirkuk (Mon., Oct 12)
- Security forces were flown by helicopter into Zghaitun, in Kirkuk province, raiding six suspected ISIS hideouts.
- Comes amid military concern over ISIS cells exploiting gaps between Kurdistan Regional Government and federal forces near Hawija and Mount Qarachogh.
- Source: The Jerusalem Post — https://jpost.com/middle-east/article-911425
- Iraqi FM warns ISIS fighters may cross from Syria as security gaps widen (Oct 12)
- With the SDF dissolved into the Syrian army and roughly 1,000 US troops drawing down from Syria, Iraq’s foreign minister warned ISIS fighters could cross the border.
- Analysts say Iraq’s own forces cannot fully replace the intelligence and surveillance the US-led coalition provided.
- Source: The Gateway Pundit — https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/10/after-sdf-dissolution-u-s-exit-kurds-face/
- Two explosive drones crash near Kurdish refugee camp in Erbil province (Thu., Oct 8)
- Two explosive-laden drones crashed near the Eastern Kurdish Refugee Camp in Kawrgosk, Khabat district, at 10:19 p.m. local time.
- Counter-Terrorism Directorate and local officials reported no casualties; no group claimed responsibility, though a security officer suggested a possible Iranian link.
- Source: Kurdistan24 — https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/944878
- ISIS hits same Hawija village twice in under 24 hours, kills federal officer (Oct 5)
- Militants attacked a Federal Police position in al-Bargliya (Hawija’s al-Danadish sector), killing one officer, wounding four, and destroying thermal surveillance cameras.
- Shafaq News reported ISIS struck the same village a second time within a day, again targeting night-vision/thermal equipment.
- Source: Shafaq News / The Jerusalem Post — https://jpost.com/middle-east/article-911425
- PMF military chief publicly rejects state demand to surrender militia weapons
- Abu Fadak (Abdul Aziz al-Mohammadawi), head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, responded to disarmament calls with: “Who is going to take the weapons?”
- Iran-aligned factions Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat al-Nujaba, and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada continue refusing to disarm, the standoff Barzani’s Oct 12 remarks directly addressed.
- Source: Shafaq News — https://shafaq.com/en/Security/Top-PMF-commander-rejects-Iraqi-disarmament-push
- Kurdistan region says it still has no replacement air-defense system after US exit
- The KRG Peshmerga Ministry called the lack of a post-withdrawal air-defense system “deeply concerning.”
- Says the region absorbed more than 1,000 drone and ballistic-missile attacks during the US-Israel war with Iran that began Feb. 28, 2026.
- Source: NewsChannel9 (AP) — https://newschannel9.com/news/nation-world/us-completes-iraq-troop-withdrawal-ending-12-year-mission-against-isis-islamic-state-group-baghdad-kurdish-region-iran-war-attacks-military-bases-prime-minister-al-zaidi
- Iraqi cabinet’s PMF law still awaiting parliamentary vote amid US objections
- Baghdad’s cabinet approved a bill making the Popular Mobilization Forces a permanent national security institution, referring it to parliament as US forces left the country.
- Washington says the bill entrenches Iranian influence; critics call it a move toward a permanent “parallel armed institution” inside the Iraqi state.
- Source: The National — https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/09/30/fears-raised-by-critics-as-iraqi-government-approves-controversial-pmf-law/
- Kataib Hezbollah declares “resistance has won this round,” denies any disarmament deal
- The Iran-backed faction denied reaching any disarmament agreement with Baghdad after the US troop withdrawal, framing the pullout as a militia victory.
- Underscores why Barzani and PM al-Zaidi are still publicly pressing factions to put weapons under state control.
- Source: The National — https://thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/10/01/resistance-has-won-this-round-kataib-hezbollah-denies-disarmament-deal-after-us-troops-leave-iraq
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