Iran is opening a new regional front in Iraq, the US must act
US government officials have concluded that the
May 14 drone attack on the east-west Saudi pipeline
was launched from southern Iraq, having previously identified Yemen as the launch site.
Despite calls from the Iraqi government to disband,
several Iranian-backed militias are active in southern Iraq. Iran has equipped these militias with the same weaponized UAV strike capability as its Houthi allies in Yemen.
According to the US government, the May 14 drone attack was likely launched by Kata’ib Hezbollah, an Iraqi militia and designated terrorist group created, funded, and directed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards – Quds Force (IRGC-QF). The attack therefore means that Iranian proxies have attacked Saudi Arabia, a key US ally, from two different fronts.
The IRGC’s ability to carry out proxy attacks against a US ally from Iraq, another supposed US ally, highlights America’s failed strategy in Baghdad. As a result of US and Saudi pressure, Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi ordered the closure of IRGC-QF militia offices across Iraq on 1 July. However, militias have ignored similar calls before. Despite Prime Minister Mahdi’s order, the Iraqi government either cannot or will not remove the Iranian-backed militias from its territory, nor will it prevent them from targeting US allies.
The militias have always bragged about being able to wear any uniform in the Iraqi military – this order allows them to access US funds, US equipment, and US intelligence. This move will make the IRGC-QF militias a legitimate part of the Iraqi Security Forces, giving them more influence than ever.
They will be the ones flying US F-16s, they will be the ones driving US M1A1 Abrams tanks and the newly delivered Russian T-80 tanks. They will still answer to Soleimani directly and will be commanded by Hadi al-Ameri of Badr Corps and by his deputy Mohandes. This is a win for Soleimani, who may even now be inspired to try and integrate Lebanese Hezbollah into the Lebanese Armed Forces, whilst the US continues to insist it is marginalizing Soleimani.
The US needs to change course in Iraq. The militias need to be opposed, and Mohandes needs to be removed, one way or the other.
