Report about 'Desert Phantoms' Military Force Stirs Debate in Iraq

Iraqi parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi at the parliament in Baghdad. (AFP)
Iraqi parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi at the parliament in Baghdad. (AFP)
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Report about 'Desert Phantoms' Military Force Stirs Debate in Iraq

Iraqi parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi at the parliament in Baghdad. (AFP)
Iraqi parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi at the parliament in Baghdad. (AFP)

A vague report about the formation of a new military force in Iraq that is loyal to parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi has sparked fierce debate among Sunnis in the country.

The report, which was widely circulated on social media, said the "Desert Phantoms" was formed of Iraqis from the western provinces. They have been trained by American forces and were carefully selected based on their political loyalty to Halbousi's Taqaddum coalition.

The report claimed the force has been tasked with protecting the headquarters of Sunni parties and blocs in Baghdad from attacks that they have recently come under. The force is seeking to deploy in Baghdad to protect party and political headquarters.

Halbousi slammed the report, tweeting that people will "no longer fall for the policy of intimidation, led by a handful of mercenaries, that is aimed at stirring unrest and spreading rumors."

A source close to the speaker suspected that armed factions were behind the report.

The report is part of systematic attempts to spread panic in the country, he told local media on Sunday.

"The Desert Phantoms are a fabrication aimed at deceiving naive people and leading them to believe that a sectarian group of thugs is deployed in the desert. This is ridiculous," he added.

He did, however, express his concern over the hidden intentions behind the spread of such rumors. He suspected that armed groups "active outside the authority of the state" would exploit the situation to "spark terror among the people of Iraq to cover for their suspicious plots."

Head of the Sahwat al-Iraq, Ahmad Abu Risha said the report is aimed at excluding the Taqaddum coalition from the new government.

"The Desert Phantoms is the latest lie to target the destroyed provinces," he tweeted, in reference to the provinces of al-Anbar, Salaheddine and Nineveh that were occupied by the ISIS terrorist group.

"The lie has been used for petty political goals and interests with the aim of intimidating entire blocs from taking part in the new national majority government," he added.

"Those with ill intentions must know that we do not believe in the state of militias and gangs, but we believe in a state that is ruled by justice and is protected by its brave army," he stressed.

The recently formed alliance between Moqtada al-Sadr, Halbousi and Masoud Barzani to form the national majority government did not sit well with the Coordination Framework, which is mainly comprised of pro-Iran factions.

The Framework is seeking to obstruct government formation efforts in an attempt to revert to the old way of forming cabinets through various alliances.

The pro-Iran factions had emerged as the major losers in the October parliamentary elections, which they have dismissed as a sham.



UN’s Tetteh Urges Libyan, Int’l Support for Advisory Committee

The head of the United Nations mission in Libya Hanna Tetteh and Egypt's Ambassador to Libya, Tamer El-Hefny (UN)
The head of the United Nations mission in Libya Hanna Tetteh and Egypt's Ambassador to Libya, Tamer El-Hefny (UN)
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UN’s Tetteh Urges Libyan, Int’l Support for Advisory Committee

The head of the United Nations mission in Libya Hanna Tetteh and Egypt's Ambassador to Libya, Tamer El-Hefny (UN)
The head of the United Nations mission in Libya Hanna Tetteh and Egypt's Ambassador to Libya, Tamer El-Hefny (UN)

The head of the United Nations mission in Libya, Hanna Tetteh, said the mission’s Advisory Committee needs support from Libyan parties and international partners to help create the right conditions for elections.

The UN mission said in a statement on Wednesday that Tetteh made the remarks during a meeting in Tripoli with Egypt's Ambassador to Libya, Tamer El-Hefny. The two discussed the committee’s ongoing work as well as Libya’s political and economic situation.

Tetteh reaffirmed the mission’s support for a Libyan-led reconciliation process facilitated by the African Union, emphasizing its victim-centered and human rights-based approach.

During a video meeting with Wahida Ayari, the Head of the AU Liaison Office in Libya (AULOL), Tetteh also discussed the protection of migrants and refugees in the country, the UN mission said.

Tetteh briefed Ayari on the work of the Advisory Committee and broader political process, while Ayari reiterated the African Union’s support for the UN mission’s mandate and efforts in Libya, according to the statement.

In a separate discussion, Tetteh and Greek Ambassador to Egypt Nikolaos Garilidis stressed the importance of maintaining Libya’s stability and ensuring effective management of its economic resources.

They also reviewed the political process, including the Advisory Committee’s ongoing work and economic track, along with other shared concerns. The statement quoted Garilidis as reaffirming Greece’s commitment, alongside the UN mission, to advancing Libya’s political process.

Tetteh is set to brief the UN Security Council this month on political, security, and humanitarian developments, as well as the latest updates from the UN mission.

According to the Security Council Report, a platform that tracks and analyzes the Council’s work, Tetteh’s briefing on efforts to revive political dialogue will likely be followed by a statement supporting UN mediation efforts or a closed-door meeting to discuss ways to break Libya’s political deadlock.