In an unusual step, the Iraqi government asked its citizens for their views about the continued deployment of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition in the country.
It sent people text messages on their mobile phones so they can reply as to whether they support or oppose the continued deployment.
The move took place days after a prominent militia leader was killed by a US strike.
The strike in Baghdad targeted Mushtaq Taleb al-Saidi, who was a leader of Harakat al-Nujaba who was involved in planning and carrying out attacks against American personnel in Iraq and Syria, said the Pentagon last week.
The Popular Mobilization Force, or PMF, a coalition of militias that is nominally under the control of the Iraqi military, said its deputy head of operations in Baghdad, identified as Abu Taqwa, had been killed "as a result of brutal American aggression."
Since the Israel-Hamas war began in October the US military has come under attack at least 100 times in Iraq and Syria, usually with a mix of rockets and one-way attack drones.
The United States has 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in neighboring Syria focused on preventing a resurgence of ISIS militants.
Abu Taqwa’s killing sparked outrage among Iran-aligned Shiite parties and armed factions that have demanded the pullout of American forces from Iraq.
Asharq Al-Awsat contacted Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's aides for further details about the new survey and what the government aims to achieve out of it but received no reply.
Soon after Abu Taqwa’s killing, the government announced that it was forming a committee to prepare the closing down of the international coalition's mission in the country.
"Government is setting the date for the start of the bilateral committee to put arrangements to end the presence of the international coalition forces in Iraq permanently," a statement from the prime minister's office said.
The committee would include representatives of the military coalition, a government official said.
Opinions have varied in Iraq about the text message survey. Some believe it aims to appease the pro-Iran factions, while others viewed it as pointless and won’t lead to any changes on the ground.
Others believe it is aimed at boosting the government by showing that it cares about what the people think and that it was not taking "fateful decisions unilaterally."
Former diplomat and ambassador Dr. Ghazi Faisal said it seems that the government was avoiding turning to parliament to discuss the withdrawal of the international forces in line with the strategic partnership and cooperation agreement signed between Baghdad and Washington.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said the agreement clearly states that an amendment to the deployment of forces must take place through negotiations.
The government ultimately wants to avoid heading to parliament to tackle this issue because it will "definitely" oppose ending the mission of the international coalition, he went on to say.
He explained that Kurdish, Sunni and some Shiite parties are opposed to the withdrawal and the way "Iran is trying to alter American-Iraqi relations through violence or through its proxies in Iraq."
The text messages are a means to pressure Washington, but they don’t reflect the government’s constitutional and legal responsibilities and its responsibilities in international and regional relations, said Faisal.
The parliament had in 2020 approved a decision that would bind the government to ending the mission of international forces. The decision was taken soon after the killing of Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani and PMF deputy leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a US strike near Baghdad airport in January 2020.
Professor at the University of Baghdad Ihssan Shmary questioned the purpose of the survey, saying it was "very strange".
He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the survey holds no legal or constitutional basis. Moreover, the results could be falsified if a lot of money is poured into swaying the voters.
The results of national elections are cast in doubt "so how can we trust the results of an electronic survey?" he wondered.
The results will ultimately be used to create a political pressure card for or against the continued deployment of the forces, Shmary said.
The survey will have no impact on policy, especially since it is tackling an issue of higher national interests. So, the survey is nothing more than government propaganda aimed at sending messages to the armed factions, he remarked.
