Baghdad threatens to "revise" its relations with Washington, deputies call to send its soldiers out of Iraq and demonstrators burn its flags… The death of 25 pro-Iran combatants in American reprisal raids prompted Monday, December 30 indignation in Iraq.
The government said it was forced to "review its relations and its working environment" with Washington, which has 5,200 soldiers in Iraq, a country it invaded in 2003 before withdrawing in 2011 to return to the head of the anti-Jihadist coalition three years later.
After Baghdad's announcement of the convocation of the American ambassador, Washington replied that Iraq had failed to "protect" its soldiers and diplomats, present "at (his) invitation".
"The American forces acted according to their political priorities and not those of the Iraqis," denounces the Iraqi government. He has been facing a revolt for three months whose slogan is "We want our country", in response to external interference in a country where politicians accuse each other of allegiance in Washington, Tehran, Riyadh or Istanbul.
The raids of the United States put for the moment in the background the unprecedented revolt against power in Baghdad and its Iranian godfather, who seems so far the big winner of the influence game against the United States.
In almost all the cities in the south of the country, demonstrators conspired Washington, burning or trampling on American flags.
Hezbollah brigades announced a public funeral on Tuesday in Baghdad, near the Green Zone where the US embassy is based, and they could turn into a show of force. For Tehran, these strikes show the "support for terrorism" of the United States.
"Clear the American enemy"
In Iraq, dozens of deputies have signed an appeal for a review of the US-Iraqi cooperation agreement framing the presence of 5,200 American soldiers in the country.
Hezbollah brigades called for "clearing the American enemy" while another pro-Iran faction, Assaïb Ahl al-Haq, said the US military presence had become "a source of threat" as needed " do everything to evict. " And even the opposition parties, reputed to be close to Washington, denounced the American strikes.
In the evening, the resigning Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi admitted to having been informed of it shortly before they took place by the American secretary of Defense Mark Esper.
"We tried to warn commanders," said Adel Abdel Mahdi, visibly in vain, given the significant human toll and the material damage.
Attacks on American interests or pro-Iranian bases also raise concerns about what Iraqi leaders have been warning about for months: that their two American and Iranian allies are using Iraq as their battleground.
"The authorities must prevent Iraq from becoming a space to settle accounts," warned the office of Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, a tutelary figure in Iraqi politics.
For its part, Moscow has warned of an escalation which "could greatly destabilize" a Middle East in turmoil.
Revolt against Baghdad and Tehran
Iraq itself is already the scene of a popular revolt which calls for the overthrow of the political system installed by the Americans in 2003 and now drowned by the Iranians. This movement, marked by nearly 460 dead and 25,000 wounded, resulted in a political crisis, in which Iran plays a central role.
Since the resignation of the government a month ago, Tehran and its allies in Iraq have been pushing to place one of their men at the head of the future cabinet. Opposite, President Barham Saleh threatens to resign in turn.
Protesters remain mobilized in Baghdad and are still paralyzing administrations and schools in almost all of the cities in the South. And this, despite a vast campaign of intimidation, carried out according to the UN by "militias" who assassinate, kidnap and threaten activists and demonstrators. On Monday evening a new figure in the protest was shot dead in Nassiriya (south), according to police sources.
One of Ali al-Khafaji's last Facebook messages before his assassination said: "The one who gave the Americans an excuse to kill our sons is the one who fired 30 rockets at their base".
With AFP
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