Baghdad cracks down on pro-Iran fighters accused of anti-US attacks
Op based on intel report about a planned attack on Green Zone, where foreign missions are located
Iraqi security forces interrogated on Friday pro-Iran fighters detained for planning a rocket attack in the first such raid in a country caught in the tugof-war between Tehran and Washington.
Since October, nearly three dozen deadly rocket attacks have hit US military and diplomatic installations in Iraq, with the US blaming proTehran faction Kataeb Hezbollah. Infuriated, Washington has demanded Iraq take tougher action to hold the perpetrators accountable and Thursday’s unprecedented raid appeared to be a response to this call. Just before midnight on Thursday, the elite Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) stormed a base in southern Baghdad used by Kataeb Hezbollah, also known as Brigade 45 of the Hashd Al-Shaabi force. A statement from Iraq’s Joint Operations Command (JOC) did not specify which group had been targeted. It said the operation was based on intelligence about a planned attack on the Green Zone, where the US Embassy and other foreign missions are located. “Fourteen people were arrested and evidence of the crime confiscated, including two rocket launchers,” the JOC statement said.
Following the raid, “government vehicles” had attempted to surround CTS headquarters, according to the JOC statement. The JOC statement also said Iraq’s judiciary had issued arrest warrants for Thursday’s operation under the counterterrorism law, which carries the death penalty.
Iraqi expert Hisham Al-Hashemi said Washington and the anti-jihadist alliance it leads in Iraq would be pleased. “The international coalition is happy with this step. Just storming these headquarters is enough for it.” He said Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhemi would also restore some of his public ratings, which had plummeted in reaction to unpopular austerity measures aimed at fighting off the economic collapse triggered by a crash in oil prices. The CTS, meanwhile, was set up by US occupation forces following 2003 and is largely seen as a pro-US force. In one of his first acts as premier, Al-Kadhemi reappointed Abdulwahab Al-Saadi, also seen as USfriendly, as CTS head. Al-Kadhemi then launched a strategic dialogue with Washington to discuss military, economic and culture issues. As part of the talks, the US pledged to continue reducing the number of US troops in Iraq, based there to lead a global coalition helping fight jihadist sleeper cells.
Iraq, meanwhile, promised to hold the perpetrators of the rocket attacks accountable and Al-Kadhemi recently convened his national security council to draw up a plan.
The raid is the boldest act yet against Iranbacked groups based in Iraq, which has long had to walk a fine line between Iran and the US.