The United States escalated on Monday its tone against pro-Iran armed factions in Iraq.
US Ambassador to Baghdad Matthew Tueller said that the restructuring of US forces does not mean that they will all quit Iraq, which is being demanded by the factions.
In remarks to the media over Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi talks with US President Joe Biden in Washington last month, the envoy added: “The restructuring of our forces does not mean the departure of all forces, but rather a change in their mission according to the timetable at the end of this year, and there will be US forces within the international coalition for advice and training.”
He stressed that the US deployment in Iraq to combat ISIS was legitimate, while describing the armed factions as a “problem”.
Moreover, he noted, in a clear reference to Iran, that some of Iraq’s neighbors view it as having a weak state, which encourages them to meddle in its affairs and impose their agenda. Tueller also accused the factions of harboring sectarian political foreign agendas.
Clearly, Iraq is still processing Kadhimi’s visit to Washington. The visit is weighing heavily on the Fatah coalition that initially welcomed the outcomes of the strategic dialogue the PM held with American officials. However, fractures have emerged with the Asaib Ahl al-Haq, a member of the coalition, expressing its rejection of the talks.
Other armed factions have also announced their rejection, but they have not resumed their attacks against what they describe as American targets in Iraq.
Kadhimi hosted on Sunday several political forces, as well as President Barham Salih and parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi, to tackle the strategic dialogue and the upcoming October elections, which Washington has strongly supported.
The factions’ continued silence over the visit remains baffling at a time when more powers are coming out to express their backing of the premier’s talks.
Observers have attributed the silence to a secret visit carried out by commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, Esmail Ghaani, to Baghdad. His brief stop has helped delay the expected confrontation between the armed factions and the US in Iraq.
As it stands, Kadhimi appears as the victor after the trip. A statement after Sunday’s meeting said that the talks underscored the outcomes of the strategic dialogue, which effectively calls for returning ties between Baghdad and Washington to the way they were before 2014 when Iraq requested the US help to fight ISIS.
With this, Kadhimi tosses the ball in the court of his predecessors, Nuri al-Maliki, who did not attend Sunday’s meeting, and Haidar al-Abadi, who did.
Furthermore, Kadhimi managed on Sunday to receive the official backing of the dialogue from various leaders of coalitions, including Hadi al-Ameri, Falih al-Fayyad and Hammam Hammoudi. The gatherers not only expressed support to the dialogue, but added that it falls in line with national Iraqi principles, sovereign interests and security and helps build close ties between Baghdad and Washington.
