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New Wave of Assassinations Targets Anti-Govt Activists in Iraq

A new wave of assassinations targeting political activists in Iraq has evoked the memory of the violence during the 2019 anti-government protests in the country. (AFP file photo)
A new wave of assassinations targeting political activists in Iraq has evoked the memory of the violence during the 2019 anti-government protests in the country. (AFP file photo)
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New Wave of Assassinations Targets Anti-Govt Activists in Iraq

A new wave of assassinations targeting political activists in Iraq has evoked the memory of the violence during the 2019 anti-government protests in the country. (AFP file photo)
A new wave of assassinations targeting political activists in Iraq has evoked the memory of the violence during the 2019 anti-government protests in the country. (AFP file photo)

A new wave of assassinations targeting political activists in Iraq has evoked the memory of the thousands killed, injured and kidnapped during the 2019 anti-government protests in the country.

With many predicting a fresh round of protests, Iraqi activists are accusing militiamen linked to the Sadrist movement of standing behind the latest violence.

On Monday, several protesters were attacked in the central city of Najaf, three activists were assassinated in the southern city of Nasiriyah and fierce clashes broke out between demonstrators and security forces in the Wasit governorate.

Ahmed al-Helo, an Iraqi activist from the central Babylon governorate, accused militants from Saraya Al Salam, the military wing of the Sadrist movement, of physically assaulting and beating him on Monday evening.

Circulated video footage showed al-Helo’s battered body as he was telling the story of how he was attacked by the hooligans.

In Najaf, gunmen kidnapped Iraqi poet and political activist Youssef Gibran, who is known for his harsh criticism of Iran and its proxy militias in Iraq. Activists also accused Sadrist followers of committing the kidnap.

The mother of the slain Iraqi activist Mohannad al-Qaisi, who was killed during the Najaf riots last year, published a recorded speech holding Moqtada al-Sadr, the cleric who leads the Sadrist movement, fully responsible for the deaths and abduction of activists.

“You ordered your followers to carry out the Najaf massacre last year,” she said, noting that many can testify to the cleric’s involvement in the violence.

Activist and blogger Ali al-Sonboli, also from Najaf, reported on raids, kidnappings and beatings targeting demonstrators who posted their opinions, especially those relating to the Najaf massacre, on social media.

He warned that the violence against activists is taking place under oversight from local authorities and police stations.

“The situation in Najaf is very worrying, amid the militias' domination of the security environment,” said Sonboli, adding that activists do not know who to turn to when it comes to deterring the violence of criminal militias.

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Arab World

US Increases its Pressure on Iran in Iraq

Coordination Framework leaders during a meeting in Baghdad. Iraqi News Agency
Coordination Framework leaders during a meeting in Baghdad. Iraqi News Agency
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US Increases its Pressure on Iran in Iraq

Coordination Framework leaders during a meeting in Baghdad. Iraqi News Agency
Coordination Framework leaders during a meeting in Baghdad. Iraqi News Agency

US pressure over Iranian influence in Iraq is increasing amid consultations to form a new government and messages from Washington affirming its willingness to use “the full range of tools” to counter what it describes as “Iran’s destabilizing activities.”

US Chargé d’Affaires Joshua Harris confirmed during a meeting on Thursday with Abdul Hussein Al-Mousawi, head of the National Approach Alliance, that any Iraqi government “should remain fully independent and focused on advancing the national interests of all Iraqis.”

A US embassy statement said the meeting addressed the importance of a strong partnership between the United States and Iraq that delivers “tangible benefits” for both sides within the framework of safeguarding Iraqi sovereignty, bolstering regional stability, and strengthening economic ties.

Harris stressed his country’s readiness “to use the full range of tools to counter Iran’s destabilizing activities in Iraq,” a statement seen as a dual message directed at forces linked to Tehran and at blocs engaged in government formation negotiations.

The media office of the National Approach Alliance, which is part of the Coordination Framework, stated that the meeting discussed the latest developments in Iraq and the region, and ways to strengthen bilateral relations “in line with the principle of mutual sovereign respect and shared interests.”

It also addressed consultations among political parties to abide by constitutional mechanisms and the results of elections.

Both sides stressed the importance of ensuring the success of negotiations between the US and Iran in a way that contributes to de-escalation and the adoption of dialogue.

Last month, US President Donald Trump warned Iraq over a reinstatement of Nouri al-Maliki as prime minister, saying that the country “descended into poverty and total chaos” under his previous leadership.

“That should not be allowed to happen again” Trump wrote on social media.

Al-Maliki, who has long-standing ties to Iran, dismissed Trump’s threat as “blatant American interference in Iraq’s internal affairs,” and vowed to “continue to work until we reach the end.”

The Coordination Framework, which holds a parliamentary majority, has named al-Maliki to serve again as Iraq’s prime minister, citing his “political and administrative experience and role in managing the state.”

Arab World

German Parliament Speaker Visits Gaza

Displaced Palestinians fleeing Israeli military operations in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza strip walk along the Salah al-Din main road in eastern Gaza City making their way to the city center, on October 22, 2024, amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
Displaced Palestinians fleeing Israeli military operations in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza strip walk along the Salah al-Din main road in eastern Gaza City making their way to the city center, on October 22, 2024, amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
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German Parliament Speaker Visits Gaza

Displaced Palestinians fleeing Israeli military operations in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza strip walk along the Salah al-Din main road in eastern Gaza City making their way to the city center, on October 22, 2024, amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
Displaced Palestinians fleeing Israeli military operations in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza strip walk along the Salah al-Din main road in eastern Gaza City making their way to the city center, on October 22, 2024, amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)

The speaker of Germany's lower house of parliament briefly visited the Israeli-controlled part of the Gaza Strip on Thursday, the body told AFP.

Julia Kloeckner spent "about an hour in the part of Gaza controlled by Israeli army forces", parliament said, becoming the first German official to visit the territory since Hamas's attack on Israel in October 2023 that sparked the devastating war.

Since the start of the conflict, Israel has drastically restricted access to the densely populated coastal strip.

In a statement shared by her office, Kloeckner said it was essential for politicians to have access to "reliable assessments of the situation" in Gaza.

"I expressly welcome the fact that Israel has now, for the first time, granted me, a parliamentary observer, access to the Gaza Strip," she said.

However, she was only able to gain a "limited insight" into the situation on the ground during her trip, she said.

Kloeckner appealed to Israel to "continue on this path of openness" and emphasised that the so-called yellow line, which designates Israeli military zones inside the Gaza Strip, must "not become a permanent barrier".

Contacted by AFP, the German foreign ministry said it would "not comment on travel plans or trips by other constitutional bodies that wish to assess the situation on the ground".

Germany has been one of Israel's staunchest supporters as the European power seeks to atone for the legacy of the Holocaust.

But in recent months, Chancellor Friedrich Merz has occasionally delivered sharp critiques of Israeli policy as German public opinion turns against Israel's actions in Gaza.

In August, Germany imposed a partial arms embargo on Israel, which was lifted in November after the announcement of what has proved to be a fragile ceasefire for Gaza.

Merz visited Israel in December and reaffirmed Germany's support.

But in a sign of lingering tension, Germany's foreign ministry on Wednesday criticized Israeli plans to tighten control over the occupied West Bank as a step toward "de facto annexation".

Arab World

Syria Says its Forces Have Taken over al-Tanf Base after a Handover from the US

FILE: Members of the Maghawir al-Thawra Syrian opposition group receive firearms training from US Army Special Forces soldiers at the al-Tanf military outpost in southern Syria in 2018. (AP/Lolita Baldor)
FILE: Members of the Maghawir al-Thawra Syrian opposition group receive firearms training from US Army Special Forces soldiers at the al-Tanf military outpost in southern Syria in 2018. (AP/Lolita Baldor)
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Syria Says its Forces Have Taken over al-Tanf Base after a Handover from the US

FILE: Members of the Maghawir al-Thawra Syrian opposition group receive firearms training from US Army Special Forces soldiers at the al-Tanf military outpost in southern Syria in 2018. (AP/Lolita Baldor)
FILE: Members of the Maghawir al-Thawra Syrian opposition group receive firearms training from US Army Special Forces soldiers at the al-Tanf military outpost in southern Syria in 2018. (AP/Lolita Baldor)

Syrian government forces have taken control of a base in the east of the country that was run for years by US troops as part of the war against the ISIS group, the Defense Ministry said in a statement Thursday.

The al-Tanf base sits on a strategic location, close to the borders with Jordan and Iraq. In a terse statement, the Syrian Defense Ministry said the handover of the base took place in coordination with the US military and Syrian forces are now “securing the base and its perimeters.”

The US military did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press regarding the Syrian statement.

The Syrian Defense Ministry also said that Syrian troops are now in place in the desert area around the al-Tanf garrison, with border guards to deploy in the coming days.

The deployment of Syrian troops at al-Tanf and in the surrounding areas comes after last month’s deal between the government and the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, to merge into the military.

Al-Tanf garrison was repeatedly attacked over the past years with drones by Iran-backed groups but such attacks have dropped sharply following the fall of Bashar Assad’s government in Syria in December 2024.

Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa has been expanding his control of the country, and last month government forces captured wide parts of northeast Syria after deadly clashes with the SDF. A ceasefire was later reached between the two sides.

Al-Tanf base played a major role in the fight against the ISIS group that declared a caliphate in large parts of Syria and Iraq in 2014. ISIS was defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria two years later.

Over the past weeks, the US military began transferring thousands of ISIS prisoners from prisons run by the SDF in northeastern Syria to Iraq, where they will be prosecuted.

The number of US troops posted in Syria has changed over the years.

The number of US troops increased to more than 2,000 after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas in Israel, as Iranian-backed militants targeted American troops and interests in the region in response to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.

The force has since been drawn back down to around 900.