Based on an analysis of (256) X \/ Twitter posts trending on December 19, 2025, Miqrab AI identified several key narratives circulating in Iraq. The most prominent story involved the assassination of a high-ranking police officer in Kirkuk, which sparked widespread concern over security and accusations of political motives. Another major topic was the arrest of militia leader Wathiq al-Battat by the Popular Mobilization Forces’ security directorate after he publicly criticized Iran and the PMF, leading to divided reactions online. Broader discussions focused on Iran’s continued influence, with some accounts accusing pro-Iran factions of treachery, and a sudden shift among some militia leaders to call for the disarmament of factions, a move seen as a response to US pressure. Other significant trends included former President Barham Salih’s appointment as UN High Commissioner for Refugees, concerns over sectarian tensions, and reports of Iraqi military operations against ISIS remnants.<\/p>\n
The assassination of Colonel Zaid Adel Sabih, a director at the Ministry of Interior, in a targeted armed attack in Kirkuk dominated conversations. Accounts reported that he was killed in the Arafa area and detailed the subsequent events, where the perpetrator was later found dead. The circumstances of the perpetrator’s death were disputed. Katab Fulan<\/a> (Post Impact: 76%)<\/strong> claimed the assassin committed suicide, but then alleged that “Barzani’s gangs killed the killer so that the Colonel’s blood would be lost!”<\/em> HIBA Alnnayib<\/a> (Post Impact: 100%)<\/strong> explicitly blamed the incident on the “Anfas al-Zahraa Coordination Framework government.” Issam Hussein<\/a> (Post Impact: 27%)<\/strong> linked the assassination to recent political tensions in the province, specifically a clash between security forces and Kurdish citizens over attempts to lower the Iraqi flag.<\/p>\n The arrest of Wathiq al-Battat, leader of the Mokhtar Army, by the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) security directorate generated significant discussion. Several accounts, including Steven Nabil<\/a> (Post Impact: 46%)<\/strong> and Shaho Al-Qaradaghi<\/a> (Post Impact: 25%)<\/strong>, reported that the arrest followed his recent media appearances where he criticized Iran and alleged the existence of thousands of “ghost” fighters within the PMF. The official reason for the arrest was cited as “insulting the security institutions.” The reactions were polarized: Dr. Ali Al-Jabiri<\/a> (Post Impact: 21%)<\/strong> argued the arrest proves that loyalty to Iran is prioritized over Iraqi sovereignty, while Ahmad Abdulsada<\/a> (Post Impact: 20%)<\/strong> praised it as an “important step” to prevent media hostile to the PMF from exploiting al-Battat’s statements.<\/p>\n A significant narrative focused on criticizing Iranian influence in Iraq and the loyalty of some Iraqi factions to Tehran. Rusly Al-Maliki<\/a> (Post Impact: 61%)<\/strong> suggested that those who curry favor with Iran ultimately lose the support of both Iran and Iraqi nationalists, stating, “Whoever betrays his homeland will regret it.”<\/em> In a similar vein, Aayad Al Twfan<\/a> (Post Impact: 61%)<\/strong> circulated a video of former official Qassem Daoud, addressing it to “agents, traitors, loyalists, and sectarians.” The post highlighted Daoud’s testimony questioning who ordered the formation of Al-Qaeda training camps, facilitated the entry of car bombs into Iraq, and orchestrated the Abu Ghraib prison break, implying these actions served foreign interests.<\/p>\n Several accounts noted a sudden shift in rhetoric from some militia leaders, who are now calling to restrict weapons to state control, sparking accusations of hypocrisy. Safaa Al-Asadi<\/a> (Post Impact: 15%)<\/strong> claimed these figures are now adopting the slogan because “orders are coming from another party,” referring to US envoy Mark Savaya. Shaho Al-Qaradaghi<\/a> (Post Impact: 19%)<\/strong> pointed out the irony of Kata’ib Imam Ali leader Shibl al-Zaidi, himself a militia commander, demanding the state monopolize arms. Ali Farhan<\/a> (Post Impact: 17%)<\/strong> linked this shift to a US message, allegedly conveyed by Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, stating that armed factions would not be permitted to participate in the upcoming government.<\/p>\n The election of former Iraqi President Barham Salih as the new UN High Commissioner for Refugees drew both praise and criticism. High-profile Kurdish leaders offered congratulations, with Hoshyar Zebari<\/a> (Post Impact: 33%)<\/strong> calling Salih his “eternal friend & eternal rival” and expressing pride in the choice. Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani<\/a> (Post Impact: 29%)<\/strong> described the appointment as a reflection of the international community’s trust in his leadership. In contrast, Othman Al-Mukhtar<\/a> (Post Impact: 20%)<\/strong> was critical, stating that Salih met with figures like Qasem Soleimani and Bashar al-Assad, and is now being put in charge of refugees, many of whom were displaced by “Iran and its proxies.”<\/p>\n A video of former politician Qassem Daoud circulated widely, in which he makes serious allegations about the origins of terrorism in Iraq. The post by Aayad Al Twfan<\/a> (Post Impact: 61%)<\/strong> highlights Daoud’s claims about who ordered the establishment of Al-Qaeda training camps in Syria, facilitated the entry of car bombs and suicide bombers into Iraq, and orchestrated the escape of 1,000 Al-Qaeda prisoners from Abu Ghraib prison. The post presents these revelations as “the truth as clear as the sun”<\/em> about the formation of terrorist groups, including the later emergence of ISIS.<\/p>\n Accounts expressed alarm over rising hate speech against Christians in Syria ahead of the Christmas season. Haidar<\/a> (Post Impact: 59%)<\/strong> shared a video showing children being indoctrinated with anti-Christian ideas, stating it aims to “obliterate the culture of coexistence for which Syria was known.”<\/em> The post sparked concern about the spread of extremism in the region. Other users like Sufian Al-Samarrai<\/a> (Post Impact: 6%)<\/strong> commented on the issue, describing those promoting such ideology as having a “hatred for all humanity” and comparing them to Satan.<\/p>\n Sectarian tensions were highlighted in an open letter from cleric Dr. Hussein Al-Moayed<\/a> (Post Impact: 47%)<\/strong> addressed to Islamic scholars and organizations. He reported that insults against the companions of the Prophet Muhammad and his wives have become a public phenomenon in Iraq, carried out by some Shia poets, chanters, and preachers. He described this as a violation of social coexistence that incites sedition and called for a broad Islamic response to condemn and stop these acts. He also urged Iraqi government institutions to hold perpetrators accountable. A related post by suhair Al_jumaili<\/a> (Post Impact: 9%)<\/strong> quoted Aws al-Khafaji contrasting the situation in Iran, where speaking ill of the companions is forbidden, with Basra, where those who do so are applauded.<\/p>\n Iraqi security forces reported a successful military operation against ISIS remnants in Anbar province. According to the Security Media Cell<\/a> (Post Impact: 6%)<\/strong>, the operation was based on precise intelligence from the Directorate of Military Intelligence and planned by the Joint Operations Command. Iraqi Air Force F-16 jets struck two terrorist hideouts north of Rawa. The statement, also shared by pages like Haidar<\/a> (Post Impact: 21%)<\/strong>, indicated that initial reports confirmed the killing of a group of ISIS members and the destruction of their weapons and logistical equipment.<\/p>\n Numerous Iraqi political leaders extended congratulations to the Yazidi community on the occasion of the Eid Som Izid (Ro\u017ein \u00caz\u00ee) holiday. A post by Haidar<\/a> (Post Impact: 17%)<\/strong> compiled greetings from Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani, President Abdul Latif Rashid, Qais Khazali of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, and Rayan al-Kildani of the Babylon Movement, all of whom wished the community peace and blessings. In a separate post, Mashaan al-Jabouri<\/a> (Post Impact: 5%)<\/strong> also sent greetings while offering an apology on behalf of Iraqi Muslims for the crimes committed against the Yazidis, calling for a just state that protects all citizens.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Based on an analysis of (256) X \/ Twitter posts trending on December 19, 2025, Miqrab AI identified several key narratives circulating in Iraq. The most prominent story involved the assassination of a high-ranking police officer in Kirkuk, which sparked widespread concern over security and accusations of political motives. Another major topic was the arrest […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7823,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[72,73,78],"tags":[82,52,81,83],"class_list":["post-7822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-twitter-x","category-iraq","category-daily","tag-daily-reports","tag-iraq-daily-social-media-trends","tag-iraq-public-opinion","tag-trending-x-twitter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7822"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7822\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7824,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7822\/revisions\/7824"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}2. PMF Security Arrests Militia Leader Wathiq al-Battat<\/h2>\n
3. Accounts Criticize Iranian Influence and Pro-Iran Loyalties<\/h2>\n
4. Militia Leaders’ Calls to Disarm Spark Skepticism<\/h2>\n
5. Mixed Reactions to Barham Salih’s UNHCR Appointment<\/h2>\n
6. Testimony on Al-Qaeda and ISIS Origins Resurfaces<\/h2>\n
7. Concern Over Anti-Christian Hate Speech in Syria<\/h2>\n
8. Cleric Urges Action Against Insults to Prophet’s Companions<\/h2>\n
9. Iraqi F-16s Strike ISIS Hideouts in Anbar<\/h2>\n
10. Iraqi Leaders Congratulate Yazidis on Eid Som Izid<\/h2>\n