Iraqi factions under the so-called “Islamic Resistance” have intensified their attacks against American forces in the country in the buildup to the fourth anniversary of the killing of Iran’s Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani and deputy head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
They were killed in an American drone strike near Baghdad airport on January 3, 2020.
The Iraqi government has sought to rein in the factions and ease the tensions.
The government officially named the street connecting Baghdad airport with other districts after Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. The factions have been demanding the name change since the assassination.
Soon after the killing, the factions set up a mural of Soleimani and al-Muhandis in the vicinity of the airport, but then Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi ordered that it be removed, angering the factions.
In the buildup to this year’s anniversary, the armed factions claimed several unprecedented attacks against American forces in the region.
The “Islamic Resistance” issued on Tuesday four separate statements claiming attacks in Iraq and Syria.
The first was carried out by a drone on the “Green Village” deep in Syrian territory. Another attack targeted the Harir base in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. A third targeted the Shaddadi base and another the al-Malikiyah base, both in Syria.
The attack in Erbil angered the Kurdistan government, which accused the Baghdad government of “financing outlaws.”
Over the past weeks, American forces have intensified their retaliation to the attacks by the factions, saying they are responding to them under the right to self-defense.
Meanwhile, a major rally is scheduled in Baghdad on Wednesday to commemorate Soleimani and al-Muhandis' killing. Smaller rallies are scheduled for central and southern provinces over the next two days.
Work at government institutions has been suspended on Wednesday in all provinces except Kurdistan.
