Based on an analysis of 508 posts by Miqrab AI, Facebook conversations in Iraq on February 17, 2026, were dominated by political and religious topics. The most engaging story was the Iraqi Parliament’s controversial vote to approve General Abdul Amir Yarallah as the Army Chief of Staff, a session marked by heated debate and a reported refusal to vote by at least one Shiite bloc. A parallel major narrative was the public disagreement over the start of Ramadan, with different religious authorities announcing conflicting dates, sparking widespread discussion and calls for unity. Other significant topics included allegations of political corruption, social commentary on Ramadan preparations, and demands from security sector employees for permanent contracts and transfers to civilian roles.<\/p>\n
The Iraqi Council of Representatives voted to confirm General Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah as the Chief of Staff of the Army, a decision that generated both support and significant controversy on Facebook. The page of military spokesman Yehia Rasool<\/a> (Post Impact: 26%)<\/strong> issued a congratulatory statement, calling the vote an “entitlement for a military career full of giving and sacrifice.” Similarly, the Iraqi Army Chief of Staff<\/a> (Post Impact: 3%)<\/strong> page and Support for Iraqi Security Forces<\/a> (Post Impact: 18%)<\/strong> celebrated the renewal of trust in his leadership. However, a highly engaged video by Haider Khalaf Ghazi<\/a> (Post Impact: 96%)<\/strong> questioned why a specific Shiite bloc did not vote for his appointment, highlighting political division over the decision. Some pages, like Ahmed Althawaq<\/a> (Post Impact: 5%)<\/strong>, criticized the Kurdish stance, sarcastically noting, “Strange people, one does not recognize the Iraqi army… yet brazenly wants the position of Army Chief of Staff!”<\/em><\/p>\n A major topic of conversation was the start of the holy month of Ramadan, with different religious authorities announcing conflicting dates. Al-Khuwa al-Nathifa<\/a> (Post Impact: 22%)<\/strong> and Baghdad<\/a> (Post Impact: 5%)<\/strong> reported that the Iraqi Jurisprudence Council and the Sunni Endowment Diwan declared Wednesday as the first day of Ramadan. Conversely, Nafs al-Iraq<\/a> (Post Impact: 5%)<\/strong> and Iraqi News Center<\/a> (Post Impact: 2%)<\/strong> noted that the Iraqi Dar al-Ifta and the office of Sayyid Ali al-Sistani declared Thursday as the first day. The office of Muqtada al-Sadr’s Private Office<\/a> (Post Impact: 17%)<\/strong> also participated by announcing phone numbers for the public to report sightings of the crescent moon. The discrepancy prompted calls for unity from pages like Set Ashwaq umm al-Qanuniyya<\/a> (Post Impact: 14%)<\/strong>, who urged followers to respect different religious observances.<\/p>\n The parliamentary session to vote on the Army Chief of Staff was marked by a widely reported altercation between prominent figures. Multiple pages, including Ahmed ALTaib<\/a> (Post Impact: 11%)<\/strong> and Support for Iraqi Security Forces<\/a> (Post Impact: 7%)<\/strong>, shared video clips of what they described as a “fiery response” and a “clash” between Parliament Speaker Haibet al-Halbousi and Deputy Speaker Farhad al-Atrushi. According to these posts, the confrontation arose when some MPs refused to vote on General Yarallah’s appointment. Diyala TV<\/a> (Post Impact: 3%)<\/strong> and Last Iraqi Events<\/a> (Post Impact: 3%)<\/strong> reported that al-Halbousi forcefully told an opposing deputy, “your hand back”<\/em> (\u0627\u064a\u062f\u0643 \u0644\u0643) and “move back, man”<\/em> (\u0648\u062e\u0631 \u0648\u0644\u0643), during the \u0645\u0634\u0627\u062f\u0629 (shouting match). The altercation highlighted the deep political tensions surrounding the key military appointment.<\/p>\n Amid the day’s political events, prominent voices on Facebook raised allegations of corruption and backroom dealing. Influencer Haider al-Hamdani<\/a> (Post Impact: 27%)<\/strong> shared a video blaming the public for the persistence of corruption, stating, “The fault lies with the people, not the thieves,”<\/em> using the hashtag #\u062d\u0631\u0627\u0645\u064a_\u0627\u0644\u0637\u064a\u0631\u0627\u0646 (#Aviation_Thief). In a more specific accusation related to the confirmation of the Army Chief of Staff, analyst Dr. Yahya Alkubisi<\/a> (Post Impact: 3%)<\/strong> claimed that Haibet al-Halbousi “is repeating it for a third time and selling the position of Chief of Staff in exchange for a dirty deal,” linking the appointment to a history of alleged political horse-trading.<\/p>\n A noticeable trend involved public appeals for improved employment conditions for personnel in Iraq’s security services. A post by Maher Muhi::Voice of the Nation’s Protectors<\/a> (Post Impact: 10%)<\/strong> called for the permanent hiring of all contract employees within the Ministry of Interior, declaring that “2026 must be the year of justice for Interior Ministry contracts.” In a parallel appeal shared by journalist Ali Athab<\/a> (Post Impact: 6%)<\/strong>, university graduates serving in military roles within the Counter-Terrorism Service, Ministry of Interior, and Ministry of Defense demanded to be transferred to civilian positions. The appeal called for a provision to be added to the 2026 budget to facilitate this transfer, similar to what was done in 2021.<\/p>\n Beyond the religious announcements, Facebook users discussed the social and economic aspects of preparing for Ramadan. The satirical page Set Ashwaq umm al-Qanuniyya<\/a> (Post Impact: 10%)<\/strong> humorously criticized the phenomenon of panic buying, asking, “It’s Ramadan, not a curfew, why are you shopping so much?”<\/em> and advised people to shop day-by-day to avoid creating shortages. The same page also poked fun at people sending Ramadan greetings with their personal photos attached. On an official level, the Media Office of the Minister of Interior<\/a> (Post Impact: 3%)<\/strong> announced that Minister Abdul Amir al-Shammari had tasked the Directorate General for Combating Organized Crime with monitoring market prices and taking legal action against violators to prevent price gouging during the month.<\/p>\n Football fans discussed Real Madrid’s victory over Benfica in the UEFA Champions League. The news page Al-Khuwa al-Nathifa<\/a> (Post Impact: 14%)<\/strong> reported the result, stating that Real Madrid had defeated Benfica with a single goal. Journalist Steven Nabil<\/a> (Post Impact: 4%)<\/strong> also commented on the match, focusing on the performance of player Vin\u00edcius J\u00fanior. He suggested that Vin\u00edcius was subjected to significant and intentional provocation during the game, but that this ultimately worked in Real Madrid’s favor by disrupting the match’s rhythm and helping them secure the win.<\/p>\n Several political and military leaders issued official greetings to the Iraqi people for the holy month of Ramadan. The official page for the Iraqi Council of Representatives<\/a> (Post Impact: 13%)<\/strong> published a message from Deputy Speaker Farhad Amin al-Atrushi, who called for “consolidating the spirit of brotherhood and national unity.” Following his confirmation, General Abdul Amir Rashid Yar Allah<\/a> (Post Impact: 3%)<\/strong> also released a statement via the Army Chief of Staff’s page, wishing for continued safety and security for the nation. Additionally, Al-Adhamiya News<\/a> (Post Impact: 1%)<\/strong> shared a greeting from Sheikh Sarmad al-Khanjar, head of the Sovereignty Alliance.<\/p>\n Discussions surrounding governance and public services were also present, with pages highlighting meetings between political leaders. The Reconstruction and Development Coalition<\/a> (Post Impact: 5%)<\/strong> announced that it hosted the head of the Federal Service Council to discuss employment files for health professionals, top graduates, and higher degree holders, emphasizing the need for coordination with the Ministry of Finance. Separately, the official page of Prime Minister Mohamed Shia’ al-Sudani<\/a> (Post Impact: 2%)<\/strong> reported on his meeting with Sheikh Humam Hamoudi, head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq. Their discussion covered the government’s efforts to implement service projects and the political work needed to “resolve constitutional entitlements.”<\/p>\n The Facebook page Old Pictures of Iraq<\/a> (Post Impact: 2%)<\/strong> served as a platform for citizens searching for information about soldiers who went missing during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. One post shared a user’s discovery of a cemetery in the Muqdadiyah district of Diyala containing the graves of over 150 soldiers from across Iraq who were killed in 1980-1982. The user stated they found their grandfather, who had been missing since 1981, and provided a phone number for the Furqan Organization to help other families. In another post on the same page, a user named Ali shared a photo and asked for help finding information about his uncle, Adel Ali Hussein<\/a> (Post Impact: 1%)<\/strong>, who was featured in a previously published image.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Based on an analysis of 508 posts by Miqrab AI, Facebook conversations in Iraq on February 17, 2026, were dominated by political and religious topics. The most engaging story was the Iraqi Parliament’s controversial vote to approve General Abdul Amir Yarallah as the Army Chief of Staff, a session marked by heated debate and a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9975,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[70,73,78],"tags":[82,52,81,84],"class_list":["post-9974","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-facebook","category-iraq","category-daily","tag-daily-reports","tag-iraq-daily-social-media-trends","tag-iraq-public-opinion","tag-trending-facebook"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9974","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=9974"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9974\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9976,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9974\/revisions\/9976"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9975"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9974"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9974"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9974"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}2. Conflicting Announcements for the Start of Ramadan<\/h2>\n
3. Heated Altercation in Parliament During Chief of Staff Vote<\/h2>\n
4. Allegations of Corruption and Political Deals Surface<\/h2>\n
5. Security Personnel Demand Changes to Employment Status<\/h2>\n
6. Ramadan Preparations: Social Commentary and Price Controls<\/h2>\n
7. Real Madrid Defeats Benfica in Champions League<\/h2>\n
8. Officials Extend Ramadan Greetings to Iraqis<\/h2>\n
9. Political Blocs Meet to Discuss National Issues<\/h2>\n
10. Families Search for Missing Soldiers from Iran-Iraq War<\/h2>\n