US separates politics, security in dealing with Iran, Popular Mobilization Forces: Iraqi researcher
ERBIL, KRG, Iraq (North Press) – OnTuesday, an Iraqi researcher said that the US is managing the conflict against Iranian influence in Iraq and shows precautionary and security positions.
Adalat Abdullah, an Iraqi political and academic researcher, made his statements in the wake of the frequent targeting of the sites of the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces, though the US is interested in resuming negotiations with Tehran regarding the nuclear program.
On Sunday-Monday night, the US forces carried out airstrikes they described as “necessary and studied” against pro-Iranian armed factions in Syria and Iraq, according to a Pentagon statement.
Iraqi forces condemned the American bombing and considered it a violation of the country’s sovereignty.
“There is no doubt that the Americans have been suffering for a while from successive and provocative missile attacks that target their military bases in Iraq,” Abdullah added.
The attacks affected some of their diplomatic facilities and other security headquarters of the US-led Global Coalition.
On Monday evening, a military base of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in al-Omar oil field in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor, eastern Syria, was hit with mortar shells, while the Coalition’s drones struck the headquarters of pro-Iranian groups on the western bank of the Euphrates River.
“US Forces in Syria were attacked by multiple rockets,” OIR spokesman, Col. Wayne Marotto tweeted.
“This matter has become a serious threat that requires a suitable response by the US in order not to be subjected to other attacks, meaning that the US position is preventative in the first place,” Abdullah explained.
Observers believe that these attacks came as a response on the frequent missile attacks, most of them of unknown sources, targeting American military bases.
Yesterday’s incident is not the first of its kind near the Syrian border, as sites of the Popular Mobilization Forces had previously been subjected to American bombardment, the most violent of which was the targeting of two brigades of the Popular Mobilization Forces in September 2019.
During that attack, about 25 members of the Popular Mobilization Forces were killed and 55 were wounded.
As for the American political position, Abdullah believes that it is represented in managing the conflict against the Iranian influence in Iraq, which has dominated the powers in Baghdad.”
“Washington is apparently interested in resuming negotiations with Iran regarding the nuclear program. But on the ground, it keeps pace with every event that causes security disturbances for its forces in the Middle East,” Abdullah pointed out.
There is an “objective distinction between the political and security spheres,” he stated.
“It is true that these operations affect Iran’s political aspirations and bet on the new US president, but matters and calculations in the US require such responses,” he indicated.
“The message behind the attacks is implicit and may be understood as Washington rejecting Iran’s impossible conditions for returning to the nuclear agreement,” he clarified.
On Monday, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced, after its condemnation of the attack, that the government is proceeding with its investigation procedures regarding this attack.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed al-Sahaf indicated that Iraq “refuses to be a party to any conflict or confrontation to settle scores on its territory, which is considered an assault and a violation of national sovereignty and international norms and conventions.”
The Popular Mobilization Forces’ statement condemned the American “aggression” and stressed that it retains “the legal right to respond and hold the perpetrators of the attacks on Iraqi’s territory to account.”