Based on Miqrab AI’s analysis of 446 trending Facebook posts in Iraq on April 29, 2025, the digital landscape was dominated by discussions on national governance, security, and economic development. A prominent narrative praised the achievements of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani’s administration, focusing on energy independence, infrastructure projects, and diplomatic efforts. This was contrasted with significant political controversy surrounding the potential visit of Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. Major security developments, including the long-awaited arrest of a high-profile ISIS operative, captured significant attention. Concurrently, large-scale economic projects like the “Madinat Al Ward” housing development were heavily promoted, while Iraqis also engaged with nostalgic content reflecting on the country’s recent past and followed regional security threats involving India and Pakistan.

Today’s Top 10 Facebook Trends in Iraq:

1. Praise for Al-Sudani Government’s Projects and Policies

Multiple pages highlighted the achievements of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani’s government. The page Al-Qasr Al-Hukoumi (Post Impact: 27%) published a detailed defense of the administration’s performance, emphasizing progress in the electricity sector through a contract with “TotalEnergies” aimed at ending gas imports by 2028, justifying diplomatic negotiations as a pragmatic way to avoid conflict, and listing service projects like new hospitals and achieving self-sufficiency in oil derivatives. Corroborating this theme, the official page of Engineer Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani (Post Impact: 8%) outlined the decisions from the latest cabinet meeting, which included approvals for new electricity maintenance contracts with Siemens, various infrastructure projects, and authorizing local governments to allocate land for public services.

2. Nostalgic Reflections on Iraq in the Early 2000s

A prominent theme involved looking back at life in Iraq two decades ago. A highly engaged post by From Baghdad+ (Post Impact: 21%) shared a rare video clip of Haifa Street in 2004, describing the period as “difficult days that no one wishes to see return.” This sentiment of reflection was also present in a post from the page Sinan (Post Impact: 5%), which shared a photograph of female students at the University of Baghdad’s College of Education for Women from the same year, prompting users to reminisce about that era.

3. Controversy Over Syrian President al-Sharaa’s Potential Visit

A political controversy erupted over the potential attendance of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (formerly known as al-Jolani) at a summit in Baghdad. Hussam Alhaj (Post Impact: 14%) reported that MP Alaa Al-Haidari filed a lawsuit against al-Sharaa, accusing him of killing his brother, in an effort to block his visit. Adding to the opposition, the page Breaking News (Post Impact: 12%) quoted State of Law MP Duha Al-Qusayr, who stated that former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki “will not welcome al-Sharaa as he does not shake hands with those whose hands are stained with the blood of Iraqis.” This sentiment was further amplified by another post from Hussam Alhaj (Post Impact: 4%), which cited a statement from Kata’ib Hezbollah’s Abu Ali al-Askari declaring that al-Jolani is not welcome.

4. India-Pakistan Military Tensions Attract Attention

Iraqi pages closely followed alarming reports of escalating military tensions between nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan. Al-Khwa Al-Nathifa (Post Impact: 18%) shared a statement from Pakistan’s Minister of Information, who announced that the country is prepared for a military response, claiming, “We have reliable intelligence that India may launch an attack within 24 to 36 hours.” This news was also covered by Adhamiya News (Post Impact: 3%), which framed the situation as the world being on the “brink of a nuclear war.”

5. Arrest of Capt. Harith Al-Sudani’s Killer After 10 Years

A major security development captured public attention: the arrest of Ahmed Sabri Rashid Al-Dlimi, the ISIS operative accused of killing Captain Harith Al-Sudani a decade ago. Yalla (Post Impact: 11%), quoting security expert Fadel Abu Ragheef, detailed Al-Dlimi’s history as a key planner responsible for hundreds of attacks across Iraq. The page Maraya (Post Impact: 3%) reported that the head of the National Security Service, Abu Ali Al-Basri, confirmed the arrest after a 10-year manhunt. Other pages, including Mohammed Al-Khazaei (Post Impact: 7%) and Iraqi Media Center (Post Impact: 2%), also circulated the news, sharing images and videos related to the capture.

6. Promotion of “Madinat Al Ward” Housing Project in Baghdad

A coordinated promotional campaign ran across several pages for the new “Madinat Al Ward” (City of the Rose) residential project in Baghdad. Al-Qasr Al-Hukoumi (Post Impact: 7%) reported that businessman Naguib Sawiris’s company, “Ora,” had laid the foundation stone for the city, which involves a first-phase investment of $7 billion and will include 200,000 housing units. Pages like Baghdad (Post Impact: 9%) and From Baghdad (Post Impact: 4%) promoted the project as a “dream city” with modern designs and global standards, highlighting its official launch on May 1st as a prime opportunity for investment.

7. Council of Ministers Approves New Projects and Measures

Decisions from the 17th session of the Council of Ministers were a key topic of discussion. The official page of Engineer Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani (Post Impact: 8%) released a comprehensive summary of the approvals, which included authorizing strategic water projects with Turkey, adopting a national environmental inspection initiative, and approving contracts for the rehabilitation of power plants. One decision that received separate attention from Maher Mouhi::Voice of the Nation’s Protectors (Post Impact: 6%) was the granting of authority to the Mayor of Baghdad and provincial governors to allocate municipal lands to government service departments for official use.

8. Commemorating the Martyrdom of Ayatollah Muhammad al-Sadr

Pages affiliated with the Sadrist movement focused on preparations for the anniversary of the martyrdom of Ayatollah Muhammad Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr and his two sons. Hakim Al-Zamili (Post Impact: 8%) shared a video of his participation in events, describing it as an act of loyalty to the Marja’iyya and a “renewal of the covenant with the line of jihad and reform.” In a related post, Saraya al-Salam – Central Media Directorate (Post Impact: 6%) reported that a top aide to Muqtada al-Sadr met with members in Najaf to organize events for the 27th anniversary of the assassination.

9. Calls for Land Allocation for Public Sector Employees

A recurring demand for the government to allocate residential land plots to public sector employees appeared on several pages. Mustafa Sanad (Post Impact: 7%) shared an update on his advocacy for Ministry of Defense personnel to receive their land entitlements. The Iraqi Engineers Syndicate – General Center (Post Impact: 5%) announced that it had formally petitioned the Prime Minister to allocate land and provide soft loans to engineers. Similarly, MP Mohammed Nuri Aziz (Post Impact: 2%) emphasized the need to grant land to employees in service departments, calling them a “fundamental pillar” of the state.

10. Baghdad’s Airport Road Development Project

Several pages shared positive updates on the ongoing development of Airport Road in Baghdad. The page Shuffle Baghdad (Post Impact: 2%) noted that “Airport Road is being renewed… and the change is clear to see,” crediting the Municipality of Baghdad for the work. This was reinforced by Iraq Projects (Post Impact: 2%), which also posted about the continuation of development on this key route into the capital.