Iraqi resistance factions protest 'blatant US interference' in internal affairs
The protests follow recent demands by Iraq’s Shia resistance factions that US forces be expelled from the country
Supporters of Shia Iraqi resistance factions, including Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba and Ashab al-Kahf, demonstrated near the US embassy in the Green Zone in Baghdad on 14 July to protest US interference in Iraq's internal affairs, warning that their response will be severe if it is not stopped, Rudaw reported.
The protest follows recent demands by Iraqi resistance factions that the government expel US forces from the country, in line with a resolution passed by the Iraqi parliament demanding the same following the US assassination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and Popular Mobilization Unit (PMU) leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in January 2020.
Protester Mehdi Jaafar told Rudaw, "We say enough. We will establish a comprehensive military movement" to expel US forces.
Another protestor, Abu Jaafar al-Lami, said the US ambassador's "blatant interference" economically, politically, and in all fields is "unacceptable,” calling on Washington to take "the position of the Iraqi people seriously.”
Security forces sealed off the Green Zone for fear of demonstrators trying to storm the US embassy.
According to the correspondent from RT, Friday's protest also took place amid rumors that US officials planned to assassinate prominent resistance faction leaders.
MPs close to the factions participated in the demonstration, including MP Hassan Salem, who noted that the parliament "has approved the law to remove foreign forces from Iraqi territory, and therefore we need to activate this decision."
He told Rudaw, "Our demand will be for the prime minister to implement this decision, to prevent such tutelage and this American occupation."
In addition to condemning the US for assassinating Soleimani and Muhandis, Shia resistance factions also blame the US military for supporting ISIS in the extremist group’s initial conquest of large parts of the country, including Iraq’s second-largest city, Mosul, in 2014. Many Iraqi young men, including many from the Shia-dominated south of the country, were killed in the battles to defend Baghdad and liberate Mosul from ISIS.
Last month, the Coordination Framework (CF) issued an ultimatum to the government of Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani, demanding immediate action against “US violations” in the country.
In a statement, the CF said it had temporarily suspended its military operations against the US military presence within Iraq. However, “this temporary halt should not be misconstrued as acceptance of the ongoing presence of US forces, which we consider illegal and unconstitutional,” the statement noted.
The CF said it granted the Iraqi government a final opportunity to address the violations. They clarified that their patience is not infinite and warned that failure to heed their demands would result in a reaction.
Earlier this week, prominent Iraqi politician and leader of the Badr Brigade, Hadi al-Amiri, urged a unified stance regarding the actions taken by the US Treasury to prevent payments to Iran for gas imports. Natural gas from Iran is needed to produce 40 percent of the country’s electricity, which has resulted in gas cuts by Iran and subsequent electricity outages as summer temperatures soar. Due to US sanctions on Iran, the Iraqi Trade Bank must receive a waiver from the US Treasury before making payments for gas to Iran.
During a commemorative ceremony on 13 July, Amiri stated, "It is disgraceful for us to be controlled by an employee of the U.S. Treasury."
"I demand that political forces take a unified position to secure Iraq's independence," Ameri added.