The key facts

  • Contracts for check-in counters, parking, and a taxi office at Mosul Airport were cancelled; the services are to be transferred to international companies
  • The Nineveh governor said the transport ministry concluded the deals without the knowledge of local authorities
  • The decision is seen as another step in the prime minister's confrontation with pro-Iranian armed factions, including Kataib Hezbollah

Cancellation of contracts and transfer of services to international companies

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi ordered the cancellation of three contracts at Mosul International Airport — for the lease of check-in counters, parking, and a taxi office — over alleged ties to armed groups. This was announced by Nineveh Governor Abdul Qadir Al-Dakhil late on Saturday evening after a meeting with the prime minister in Baghdad, which was also attended by Appeals Court Chairman Raid Hamid Al-Musleh. According to the governor, Al-Zaidi also ordered that the contracts for these services be transferred to international companies.

Conflict between the center and the province

According to the governor's statement, the Ministry of Transport had previously concluded contracts with three companies for airport services 'without the knowledge or approval of the local government,' and Nineveh's provincial authorities had already objected to these deals. The statement presented the cancellation of the agreements as a correction of the practice whereby Baghdad ministries bypass provincial authorities when awarding contracts. The names of the armed groups allegedly linked to the deals were not disclosed in the statement.

Part of a broader confrontation

The National, the outlet on which this information is based, notes that the decision is the latest in a series of clashes between the prime minister and pro-Iranian armed factions. In recent weeks, Al-Zaidi has been trying to extend state authority over formations operating outside official structures, while the Kataib Hezbollah group has publicly challenged attempts to curb its political and economic influence. Mosul Airport, reopened after reconstruction, has become a focal point of this confrontation: local officials view control over its commercial contracts both as a source of revenue and as a test of whether civilian authorities can operate without pressure from armed groups. The transfer of contracts to international companies, according to the outlet, signals the prime minister's intention to completely remove armed formations from the airport's economy, rather than simply replacing one local contractor with another. The move is expected to deepen the confrontation with Kataib Hezbollah, which already accuses the government of pressuring 'resistance factions' under US influence.

What remains unclear

It is not yet known how the affected companies will react or whether they will challenge the contract cancellations in court, nor when the tender to attract international firms will begin. The authorities' statement contains no details about the contractors' alleged ties to armed groups.