Iraq strikes a blow to a pro-Iranian militia with the arrest of 14 people

Iraqi security forces arrested 14 members of the Iraqi militia Kata'ib Hezbollah, financed by Iran and considered a terrorist organization by the United States and contrary to its interests, during a raid in southern Baghdad on Friday. Iraq's Joint Operations Command has reported that the group intended to attack government headquarters in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, where most government offices and embassies are located. 

It is not clear which security force detained them, but according to sources consulted by Reuters they were handed over to the People's Mobilization Forces (PMF), formed in 2014 to group militias fighting the Islamic State. Some observers consider that this is tantamount to releasing them, since FMP is controlled by Kata'ib Hezbollah. The Ahad television station has broadcast images of the alleged FMP fighters released in the early hours of the morning. A militia spokesman has accused the current Prime Minister, Mustafa al Kadhimi, of being an American agent. 

Following the territorial defeat of the Islamic state in 2017, the FMP was integrated into the armed forces, but some of the militias associated with Iran have continued to operate outside the official command structure. The Iraqi government is in the middle of a fight for regional influence between Tehran and Washington. The arrests have been a real earthquake in Iraq. Shortly after the first news of the arrests, numerous militiamen demonstrated outside the headquarters of the Anti-Terrorist Service, located in the Green Zone, calling for the release of the detainees. 

The arrests came after information was obtained about previous attacks on the Green Zone and Baghdad International Airport, and assurances were given that this group "intended" to carry out further attacks. A security source, who preferred not to identify himself, told Efe that the detainees belonged to the Kata'ib Hezbollah militia, which is part of the pro-government armed group Multitud Popular. This is the most forceful action against pro-Iranian groups in years and the first under Al Kadhimi's rule.

The Iraqi forces requisitioned two structures for the launching of projectiles at the group. This raid, an unusual action against the militias, follows the launching of dozens of projectiles in recent weeks against the Green Zone, where the US embassy, Baghdad's international airport, is located. Although these attacks have not been vindicated, Washington directly accuses Kata'ib Hezbollah, a group it has blamed for killing and injuring US personnel in Iraq since December last year, when an American contractor was killed in an attack on the K1 military base in Kirkuk, in the north of the country.

The incident caused an escalation of tension between the U.S. and Iran that led to the assassination of the powerful Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Forces of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and the number two of the People's Multitude and head of Kata'ib Hezbollah, Abu Mahdi al Mohandes, in a U.S. targeted bombing on January 3 in Baghdad. The Popular Multitude militias, created to confront the Islamic state during its advance into Iraq where it came to control large portions of territory until 2017, have a presence and control in large areas of the country where they collaborate with Iraqi forces.

The Iraqi prime minister assured when he took office in May that all weapons must be in the possession of the state and ordered the security forces to "pursue the armed groups that are launching missiles against Iraqi army bases and diplomatic missions. These promises have further strained relations between the leaders of Kata'ib Hezbollah and Al Kadhimi, who were accused when he was head of Iraqi intelligence of "providing" information to the U.S. for the bombing that killed Soleimani.

Relations between Iran and the United States have intensified since the Trump Administration withdrew from the nuclear agreement two years ago and re-imposed sanctions on the country. This confrontation came close to triggering a conflict last January, when an American drone killed Soleimani, Abu Mahdi al Mohandes. Iran responded by attacking the Ain al-Assad base, where American troops are concentrated. 

Since then, Tehran's allies in Iraq have not stopped organizing attacks against the U.S. presence in the area. Their goal is to drive all U.S. soldiers out of the country. Only in the last few weeks have there been rocket attacks on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad or on facilities where there is a U.S. military presence. 

This Friday's operation is a warning from Al Kadhimi that he will keep his promise to act against militias that attack U.S. interests. His objective since he came to power in May has been to reaffirm the sovereignty of the state in the face of the actions of non-state forces. Tehran-backed factions are increasingly hostile to the Prime Minister. 

Al Kadhimi does not have it easy. Iraq has been in a deep political crisis for a long time, now compounded by a health crisis due to the pandemic and an economic crisis due to falling oil prices. In spite of everything, Al Khadimi has been firm in his intention to reaffirm the authority of the state and is willing to strengthen the bilateral strategic dialogue with Washington.