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Iraq PM Makes First Move against Iran's Militias

Iraqi demonstrators take part in an ongoing anti-government protest, in Baghdad, Iraq November 1, 2019. (Reuters)
Iraqi demonstrators take part in an ongoing anti-government protest, in Baghdad, Iraq November 1, 2019. (Reuters)
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Iraq PM Makes First Move against Iran's Militias

Iraqi demonstrators take part in an ongoing anti-government protest, in Baghdad, Iraq November 1, 2019. (Reuters)
Iraqi demonstrators take part in an ongoing anti-government protest, in Baghdad, Iraq November 1, 2019. (Reuters)

Iraqi security forces carried out on Monday the first raid under the tenure of new Prime Minister Mustapha al-Kadhimi, targeting the headquarters of a faction that is loyal to Iran in the southern city of Basra.

The office did not name the faction, but police in Basra said that they shut down the offices of the Thar Allah Islamic Party that has been blamed for opening fire at anti-government protesters, leaving many dead and injured.

Kadhimi's office said that the security forces arrested everyone inside the building and confiscated weapons and ammunition. The detainees will be referred to the judiciary to "receive justice."

Also on Monday, a large poster of slain Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi deputy head of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) Abu Mahdi al-Muhandes was removed from near Baghdad airport. The two figures were killed in a US drone strike near the facility in January.

The pro-Iran PMF had previously denied that the poster was removed, saying instead that it was blown away by a recent storm in Baghdad. It later put up a new poster, this time of Muhandes alone.

Later on Monday, Kadhimi vowed that he will crack down on everyone responsible for shedding the blood of the Iraqi people.

In a tweet, he said of the Basra unrest: "We had pledged that those responsible for shedding the blood of Iraqis will not rest easy and we are now fulfilling this pledge." He also defended peaceful protests.

Monday's raid was the first of its kind against any pro-Iran armed faction that is widely suspected of being behind years of assassination of journalists, activists and local rivals.

Head of the Thar Allah Islamic Party, Youssef al-Moussawi, commonly known as "Sayyed Youssef", is among the most notorious militants to take part in the armed conflicts that had taken place in Basra soon after the collapse of the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003.

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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)

Italy plans to send an ambassador back to Syria after a decade-long absence, the country’s foreign minister said, in a diplomatic move that could spark divisions among European Union allies.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, speaking in front of relevant parliamentary committees Thursday, announced Rome’s intention to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria to prevent Russia from monopolizing diplomatic efforts in the Middle Eastern country.

Moscow is considered a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has remained in power despite widespread Western isolation and civilian casualties since the start of Syria’s civil war in March 2011.

Peaceful protests against the Assad government — part of the so-called “Arab Spring” popular uprisings that spread across some of the Middle East — were met by a brutal crackdown, and the uprising quickly spiraled into a full-blown civil war.

The conflict was further complicated by the intervention of foreign forces on all sides and a rising militancy, first by al-Qaida-linked groups and then the ISIS group until its defeat on the battlefield in 2019.

The war, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million, is now largely frozen, despite ongoing low-level fighting.

The country is effectively carved up into areas controlled by the Damascus-based government of Assad, various opposition groups and Syrian Kurdish forces.

In the early days of the conflict, many Western and Arab countries cut off relations with Syria, including Italy, which has since managed Syria-related diplomacy through its embassy in Beirut.

However, since Assad has regained control over most of the territory, neighboring Arab countries have gradually restored relations, with the most symbolically significant move coming last year when Syria was re-admitted to the Arab League.

Tajani said Thursday the EU’s policy in Syria should be adapted to the “development of the situation,” adding that Italy has received support from Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus and Slovakia.

However, the US and allied countries in Europe have largely continued to hold firm in their stance against Assad’s government, due to concerns over human rights violations.