Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani is trying to play a double game with the pro-Iran Resistance. On the one hand he is criticizing it for attacks upon the government on the other hand he is giving them concessions because factions are in his political camp and he is still hoping that he can win a second term in office with their support.
Yesterday was a perfect example of this. First he condemned the Resistance for attacking the National Intelligence Service headquarters in Baghdad that killed one and wounded another. He called them cowards and said they would be brought to justice. At the same time he said that he would end the international anti-Islamic State coalition early because their presence in the country is a major justification for the Resistance. The foreign forces were supposed to leave Iraq in September 2026. He said that with the Americans and the others gone it would be easier to end the Resistance. The problem with that is that the Resistance are more than just armed groups. They are part of the Iraqi security forces, they have parliamentarians, they run ministries and government offices. They also say they are protectors of Iran. That all means they have no reason to disband if the U.S. and others leave Iraq. Instead Sudani would give them a victory because they will claim the American sand their allies left because of the Resistance.
Kataib Hezbollah which is a leading member of the Resistance said that it would maintain its pause on attacks upon the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. They originally announced this moratorium on March 19. This was due to pressure form PM Sudani and the ruling Coordination Framework. The attacks upon the U.S. compound and overall violence is giving Iraq a bad image as unstable country once again.
That’s seen in the fact that foreign workers and diplomats are all fleeing the country. The last NATO member left on March 20 after a French soldier was killed by a drone. March 19 Americans began leaving the embassy. On March 17 the Saudi embassy closed followed by the Qatari one. The Germans are pulling out their diplomatic staff. Oil companies and service firms have withdrawn their foreign workers from the south starting on March 6 after a drone attack upon a residential compound in Basra. BP did the same in four oil fields in Kirkuk. The government has been trying to repair its image as a dangerous state since the end of the war versus the Islamic State in 2017 to bring in tourism and more foreign investment. That image is in tatters once again.
The U.S. or Israel targeted Kataib Hezbollah’s base in Babil’s Jurf al-Sakhr for the second day wounding four. The Quwat al-Shaheed al-Sadr’s 15th Hashd Brigade was hit by an airstrike in northern Salahaddin while Badr’s 27th Hashd Brigade also faced jets in the Qarma district in Anbar.
On the Resistance side seven missiles were fired from the Rabia district of western Ninewa at the Karan al-Jir base in Hasakah province in northeast Syria. The base was used by the United States before it withdrew. This is the second report of the Resistance launching attacks upon neighboring countries from Iraq. Every day the factions claim they are carrying out operations throughout the Middle East as part of the Iran War but they never provide any details nor are they confirmed.
SOURCES
Agence France Presse, “Iraq pro-Iran group extends pause in US embassy attacks,” 3/23/26
- “Iraqi PM says accelerating withdrawal of anti-jihadist coalition forces,” 3/23/26
Asharq Al-Awsat, “Attack on Iraqi Intelligence HQ Ends Opportunities for Dialogue between Govt, Armed Factions,” 3/23/26
Saadoon, Mustafa, “Baghdad Risks Losing All Foreign Missions,” Al Hurra, 3/23/26
Shafaq News, “4 injuries in an attack targeting the Popular Mobilization Forces in Jurf al-Sakhr, Babil (Update),” 3/23/26
- “Seven missiles launched form Iraq at a former international coalition base in Syria,” 3/23/26
- “Two airstrikes target Popular Mobilization Forces headquarters in Salah al-Din and Anbar (Update),” 3/23/26
No comments:
Post a Comment