2026 in Iraq

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See also:	Other events of 2026 List of years in Iraq

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Events of the year 2026 in Iraq .

Incumbents

• President: Abdul Latif Rashid
• Prime Minister: Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani

Events

January

• 21 January – US Central Command launches an operation to transfer up to 7,000 IS detainees from Syria to Iraq. ^{[1] [2]}
• 24 January –
  • The Coordination Framework, which hold a majority in the Council of Representatives, nominates former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki to return to office, which he previously held between 2006 and 2014. ^[3]
  • Academics and university staff begin an open ended strike after the Ministry of Finance announces cuts to their salaries. ^[4]
• 27 January – 2026 Iraqi presidential election. ^[5]

February

• 6 February – A man detonates an explosive belt while being arrested, killing himself and injuring two security forces members in al-Khaseem, Al-Qa'im District. ^[6]
• 9 February – The National Security Service announces the execution of Saadoun Sabri al-Qaisi, a former major general during the Saddam Hussein regime who had been convicted of crimes against humanity including the assassinations of cleric Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr and his sister, Amina al-Sadr, in 1980. ^[7]
• 22 February – Kuwait summons the Iraqi chargé d'affaires in protest over the submission by Iraq of revised maps and maritime boundaries to the United Nations. ^[8]
• 28 February –
  • Iraq closes its airspace after the U.S. and Israel launch an attack on Iran. ^[9]
  • At least two airstrikes targeting Popular Mobilization Forces headquarters in Jurf al-Nasr kills two and injures eight militia members. ^{[10] [11]}
  • Erbil International Airport is targeted twice with drone attacks, which were reportedly intercepted. ^[11]

March

• 1 March –
  • Iraq announces three days of mourning after the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in neighboring Iran. Iraqis also protest at the Green Zone which houses foreign embassies in Baghdad. ^[12]
  • Four Popular Mobilization Forces members are killed in an unidentified airstrike targeting one of their headquarters in Diyala Governorate. ^[13]
  • A US kamikaze drone falls without exploding on a farm in western Iraq. ^[14]
• 2 March – The US orders all non-emergency personnel and ‌their families to evacuate Iraq alongside other countries in the region. ^[15]
• 3 March –
  • Iraq shuts down production at the Rumaila oil field for lack of storage space as oil exports struggle to exit the Strait of Hormuz. ^[16]
  • An unidentified force, suspected to be American or Israeli tropes, flew helicopters over Iraq coming from Syria and landed in the Najaf desert in southern Iraq. Iraqi forces moved to investigate the situation and a shootout occurred, killing one and injuring two Iraqi soldiers. ^[17]
• 4 March –
  • A nationwide blackout occurs with the Ministry of Electricity saying the power grid has gone down entirely, and that the cause is under investigation. ^[18]
  • Reports spread of thousands of Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan fighters launching a ground offensive into Iran from Iraq with heavy fighting underway. Iranian forces reportedly withdraw from the city of Marivan. ^[19] However, these reports were denied by both Iranian and Iraqi Kurdish sources. ^[20]
• 5 March – Iraqi forces shoot down a drone that attempted to attack the United States Victoria airbase near Baghdad. ^[21]
• 6 March –
  • U.S. Air Force helicopters launch air-to-surface missiles at Popular Mobilization Forces positions near Mosul. ^[22]
  • Drones hit a hotel in Erbil. ^[23]
• 7 March – The US embassy in Baghdad is targeted by rockets. ^[24]

Holidays

Further information: Public holidays in Iraq

Source: ^[25]

• 1 January – New Year's Day
• 6 January – Iraqi Army Day
• 20-22 March – Eid al-Fitr
• 9 April – Liberation Day
• 1 May – Labour Day
• 26–30 May – Eid al-Adha
• 16 June – Islamic New Year
• 25 June – Ashura
• 14 July – Republic Day
• 5 August – Arba'in
• 25 August – Mawlid
• 3 October – National day
• 10 December – Victory Day
• 25 December – Christmas Day

Art and entertainment

• List of Iraqi submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

Deaths

• 2 March – Yanar Mohammed, feminist and activist (b.1960) ^[26]

See also

• 2020s portal
• Current events portal
• Asia portal
• Iraq portal

• Timeline of Iraq history
• Years in Iraq

References

1. "U.S. Forces Launch Mission in Syria to Transfer ISIS Detainees to Iraq". U.S. Central Command. Archived from the original on 2026-01-21. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
2. "US begins transfer of IS fighters from Syria to Iraq". dw.com. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
3. "Iraq Shia alliance nominates former PM Nouri al-Maliki as its candidate". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
4. "الاضراب يبدأ بالجامعات.. قرار حكومي يفجّر غضب الأكاديميين ويدفع لاغلاق البوابات وتاجيل الامتحانات". قناه السومرية العراقية (in Arabic). Retrieved 2026-01-29.
5. "Iraq presidential vote delayed as Kurdish blocs struggle to pick candidate". Al Jazeera . 2026-01-27. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
6. Abdul-Zahra, Qassim (2026-02-06). "A man detonates explosive belt during arrest attempt in Iraq, injuring 2 security members". Associated Press . Retrieved 2026-02-06.
7. Abdul-Zahra, Qassim (2026-02-09). "Iraq executes a former senior officer under Saddam for the 1980 killing of a Shiite cleric". Associated Press . Retrieved 2026-02-09.
8. "Gulf countries back Kuwait's sovereignty after Iraq draws new boundaries". Al Jazeera. 23 February 2026. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
9. "US and Israel launch a major attack on Iran and Trump urges Iranians to 'take over your government'". AP News. 2026-02-28. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
10. "قصف يستهدف جرف الصخر في بابل ويودي بحياة عنصرين من الحشد". شفق نيوز (in Arabic). Retrieved 2026-02-28.
11. Staff, Al Jazeera. "Multiple Arab states that host US assets targeted in Iran retaliation". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2026-03-01.
12. Magee, Caolán. "Iran begins 40-day mourning after Khamenei killed in US-Israeli attack". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2026-03-01.
13. "مواجهات بين متظاهرين والشرطة قرب السفارة الأميركية في بغداد". العربية (in Arabic). 2026-03-01. Retrieved 2026-03-01.
14. "US kamikaze drone found on farmland in Iraq". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2026-03-03.
15. "US orders some diplomatic staff to leave Middle East as Iran conflict escalates". Reuters. March 3, 2026.
16. El Wardany, Salma; Smith, Grant (March 3, 2026). "Iraq Starts Shutting Oil Output at Rumaila as Storage Fills Up". Bloomberg.
17. "حصري... إنزال جوي لقوات أجنبية في العراق". اندبندنت عربية (in Arabic). 2026-03-04. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
18. "Iraq plunged into nationwide blackout as Iran threatens to target cargo ships". in-cyprus.philenews.com. 2026-03-04. Retrieved 2026-03-04.
19. "EXCLUSIVE: Thousands of Kurdish fighters launch ground offensive into Iran against regime, official says". i24NEWS. 2026-03-04. Retrieved 2026-03-04.
20. "Rojhilat'ta "kara harekatı" iddiası: Kürt güçlerinden yalanlama" (in Turkish). 4 March 2026. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
21. Staff, Al Jazeera. "Drones strike US base in Iraq, Doha explosions, as Iran hits region in war". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
22. "US helicopter strike hits near PMF post in Iraq's Mosul". Shafaq News. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
23. "Drone strike hits hotel in Erbil after US security warning". Iraqi News. 2026-03-06. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
24. "US embassy in Baghdad attacked as US-Israel war on Iran escalates". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2026-03-08.
25. "Iraq Public Holidays 2026". Public Holidays Global. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
26. "اغتيال الناشطة العراقية ينار محمد بطلقات غادرة شمالي بغداد". Kurdistan24- (in Arabic). 2026-03-02. Retrieved 2026-03-02.

External links

• Online calendar