Sadr Calls for Political Solution to Ending Foreign Presence in Iraq

Security forces stand guard near the site of an attack on the American Institute for English Learning in Najaf, Iraq, Friday, Sept. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil)
Security forces stand guard near the site of an attack on the American Institute for English Learning in Najaf, Iraq, Friday, Sept. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil)
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Sadr Calls for Political Solution to Ending Foreign Presence in Iraq

Security forces stand guard near the site of an attack on the American Institute for English Learning in Najaf, Iraq, Friday, Sept. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil)
Security forces stand guard near the site of an attack on the American Institute for English Learning in Najaf, Iraq, Friday, Sept. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil)

The leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, warned on Friday against dragging Iraq to a “dark tunnel” by targeting cultural and diplomatic centers with missiles and explosives. Instead he called for using “political and parliamentary means” to deal with the US presence in the country.

“Attacking diplomatic and cultural centers will push Iraq to a dark tunnel,” Sadr wrote on Twitter.

The leader of the Sadrist movement called for using political means and resorting to the parliament “to end the occupation” and stop foreign interference in Iraq's internal affairs.

Commenting on Sadr’s statements, Ihsan Al Shameri, the head of the Political Thought Center in Baghdad, told Asahrq Al-Awsat that the leader of the Sadrist movement is trying to improve his image.

The position of the Shiite cleric came as armed factions continued to attack the Green Zone in Baghdad, where the US embassy is located.

On Friday, an explosion inside the American Institute for Teaching English in central Najaf, 160 km south of Baghdad, caused extensive damage to its building.

The Najaf Police Command said initial information indicates that an explosive device blew up at the Institute, without causing any casualties.

Shortly before the Najaf attack, an explosive device detonated on the highway in Al-Musayyib district in Babylon governorate, targeting a convoy transporting equipment for the international coalition by Iraqi transport companies, Iraq’s Security Media Cell announced.

It said the explosion did not cause human losses or material damage.

Also, the Salah al-Din Operations Command announced the explosion of a pile of ammunition in an abandoned building inside the Spyker base, denying rumors of the bombing of a Popular Mobilization Forces warehouse at the base.

The Operations Command stated that the ammunition exploded as a result of poor storage and high temperatures.



Al-Alimi Calls for Collective Global Approach to Support Yemen’s Security, Economy

Al-Alimi meets with US Ambassador to Yemen Steven Fagin in Riyadh. (Saba)
Al-Alimi meets with US Ambassador to Yemen Steven Fagin in Riyadh. (Saba)
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Al-Alimi Calls for Collective Global Approach to Support Yemen’s Security, Economy

Al-Alimi meets with US Ambassador to Yemen Steven Fagin in Riyadh. (Saba)
Al-Alimi meets with US Ambassador to Yemen Steven Fagin in Riyadh. (Saba)

Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Dr. Rashad al-Alimi hoped for a broader partnership with the United States to address the challenges facing his country. He called for a collective global approach to support Yemen on humanitarian, economic, and security fronts.

Al-Alimi received in Riyadh US Ambassador to Yemen, Steven Fagin, just days after the designation of the Iran-backed Houthi militias as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization” took effect and new US sanctions were imposed on seven of its senior leaders, including its spokesperson and de facto foreign minister, Mohammed Abdul Salam.

According to official Yemeni media, the meeting, attended by Council member Othman Mujalli, focused on Yemeni-American relations and their future prospects, as well as ways to boost cooperation at various levels.

Al-Alimi stressed the urgent need for a global collective approach to support the legitimate Yemeni government in addressing economic, service-related, and humanitarian challenges. He also emphasized strengthening the country’s capacity to combat terrorism and organized crime, and to secure its territorial waters, positioning Yemen as a key partner in safeguarding international peace and security.

The Yemeni leader reaffirmed his commitment to expanding cooperation with the United States to confront regional threats and challenges. He welcomed the US administration’s decision to reclassify the Houthis as terrorist and pledged Yemen’s full cooperation with the international community to implement the designation while minimizing any potential humanitarian impact on vulnerable groups.

While the full extent of the designation’s impact on the Houthis remains uncertain, there have been growing international calls to ensure that civilians and the private sector in Houthi-controlled areas are not adversely affected and that humanitarian operations led by UN agencies remain uninterrupted.

UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg, in his latest briefing to the UN Security Council, warned of escalating tensions and the risk of a return to war, particularly as the Houthis continue their military offensives in Marib, Al-Jawf, and Taiz.

According to Yemeni reports, the past few weeks have witnessed intensified Houthi attacks in Marib and clashes with government forces, as the militias deploy more fighters to frontlines in the oil-rich province.

Grundberg called on all parties to exercise restraint and avoid measures that could drag Yemen back into a full-scale war, where civilians would once again bear the brunt of the conflict.