Salem Alketbi

What it takes for security and stability in Iraq

الأربعاء - 10 مارس 2021

Wed - 10 Mar 2021

No one can deny that security in Iraq has been hijacked as a result of years of plans designed and carried out by its Iranian neighbor. Nothing new there. Nobody takes seriously Iran’s denial of the relationship between the mullahs’ regime and militia attacks in Iraq.

All the weapons stockpiled on the territory of this great Arab country speak for themselves. Indeed, their origin and source of funding are public knowledge in the Iraqi, regional and international political, security and military arenas. There are immediate and confirmed answers to legitimate questions such as the origin, use and targets of these weapons.

It is sometimes argued that foreign influence in Iraq does not come 100% from militias affiliated or loyal to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Many regional and international actors may be present on Iraqi territory in different forms and roles.

In any military operation, it is possible to point the finger at one or the other of the parties, leaving accusations unfounded in the absence of documented evidence. But at its core, this controversy serves as a smokescreen to hide an unmistakable truth.

The only party capable of carrying out plans such as launching missiles or triggering bombs is the militia loyal to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps.

The recent rocket attack on a position near the Erbil airport hosting the US military base, injuring a US trooper, was a litmus test of President Joe Biden’s administration and its intentions towards the situation in Iraq. The perpetrators of this attack seem to be rushing a clear American position towards Iraq.

It also meant as a shadow signal of their influence in that country, as they seek to wrap up this issue and put it on the table in any future negotiations with the US on Iraq or other countries, making this attack a reinforcing element in the bargaining power of a regional player.

Moreover, the Iranian mullahs’ claim that there is no evidence of any connection with this attack is outright ridiculous. The same old story. All attacks involving all mullahs do not need evidence of the kind they want. Iran’s influence in Iraq is crystal clear to everyone.

How about the fact that the mullahs brag about occupying the Iraqi capital and three other Arab capitals for a proof?

The mullahs’ hand in destabilizing Iraq does not need paper evidence to establish a link with the Revolutionary Guard and the party claiming responsibility for the attack, especially since it is a phantom militia, not an established organization. Its fictitious elements cover up the real protagonists behind the curtain. The instructions and orders for these crimes are given verbally by an underworld organization with a compartmentalized hierarchy.

After the attack on Erbil airport, for example, anti-terrorist forces from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq found a vehicle from which rockets were fired at the airport. A group calling itself the Awliya Al Dam Brigades claimed responsibility for the assault, during which 14 rockets were fired, revealing the presence of an arsenal of a player with a strong operational presence on Iraqi territory. This is also the third time that the airport has been targeted.

It has already been bombed by Iran in response to the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani in January last year. Then it was bombed by Katyusha rockets last September. This means that the coordinates are already set and the rockets are just waiting for the order and time of launch.

The latest attack, which angered the US, says Secretary of State Tony Blinken, comes nearly two weeks before Pope Francis’ planned visit to Iraq, where he is expected to visit Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region. One of the objectives of this attack is to try to cancel or disrupt this important visit.

This highlights Iraq’s serious need to go on with its efforts in the fight against terror, and get the support the international powers in order to eradicate the agents of terror and win the victory in the battle of the sovereign state against terrorists and outlaws, to quote Iraqi President Barham Saleh.

Iraq’s security must not be held to ransom by the mullahs and other regional powers bent on making this great Arab country a backdrop for conflict, settling scores and expanding their strategic influence. Iraq, as it tries to avert these plans, deserves serious and sincere backing from the Arab and global collective to put a stop to these interventions.

Salem AlKetbi

UAE political analyst and former Federal National Council candidate