Iraq: 13 pro-Iran faction fighters arrested in Baghdad

American soldiers not far from Mosul. At least 33 attacks have targeted American soldiers or diplomats in Iraq since October 2019. THOMAS COEX / AFP

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Thirteen fighters of an Iraqi pro-Iran faction were arrested in Baghdad on the night of Thursday 25 to Friday 26 June by the anti-terrorist services for launching rockets against American interests, a first when this type of attack did not hasn't stopped for eight months, officials said.

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An Iraqi government source and two security officials said the thirteen men were arrested in a neighborhood south of Baghdad in possession of several rocket launching pads. They added that they belonged to the Hezbollah brigades, the country's most radical pro-Iran faction, which Washington regularly accuses of being behind the rocket attacks against its soldiers and diplomats in Iraq.

A worrying situation

At least 33 attacks have targeted U.S. soldiers or diplomats in Iraq since October 2019, including six in the past two weeks alone. A handful of them have been claimed by obscure small groups, false noses of the pro-Iran armed factions according to experts.

As a sign that the situation is worrying in the highest places, Prime Minister Moustafa al-Kazimi recently dedicated a Security Council (Council of Ministers) reduced to this question of rockets, promising to hold the perpetrators accountable. This new firmness coincides with the launch on June 11 of a "  strategic dialogue  " supposed to redefine cooperation between Baghdad and Washington, but which experts say do not expect great results. US soldiers, who numbered 5,200 last year before hundreds of them were withdrawn due to rockets and the new coronavirus, face an expulsion decision passed by the Iraqi parliament but never implemented in application by the government.

Tensions have escalated

Tensions between Washington and Tehran, sworn enemies vying for influence in Iraq, have escalated in recent months. And the assassination in early January of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and his Iraqi lieutenant in Baghdad almost gave rise to open conflict. Since then, Iraq has adopted a new government, which passes for being more pro-American, and rocket fire - which has killed three Americans and one Briton in recent months - has experienced a lull, before resuming.

( with AFP )

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  • Iraq
  • United States
  • Iran
  • Terrorism

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