Official Baghdad is seeking international support in connection with attacks by US forces on Iraqi territory. This was stated by the official representative of the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, Ahmed al-Sahaf.

"Iraq is working to mobilize the efforts of all friends and partners to support its position in defense of respect for Iraqi sovereignty after recent US air strikes on Iraqi security facilities, resulting in deaths and injuries," Ahmed al-Sahaf told RIA Novosti.

According to the diplomat, Baghdad has already filed a complaint with the UN Security Council in connection with US attacks on government facilities in Iraq. These actions of Washington in the government of the republic are considered a “flagrant violation” of sovereignty and aggression against Iraq, Ahmed al-Sahaf added.

Earlier, the US Air Force attacked several sites in Iraq, including the airport under construction in the city of Karbala. According to the press service of the Iraqi security agencies, as a result of the attack, three soldiers of the 19th division of the Iraqi army, two police officers, and one airport worker were killed.

“The infrastructure and warehouses with weapons of the objects subjected to the blows were completely destroyed,” the press service said.

The leadership of the armed forces of Iraq condemned the actions of the United States, calling the attacks on Iraqi targets a violation of the "principle of cooperation." According to the Iraqi side, Washington’s statements that the attack was a response to the attack on an American military base are just an excuse. In practice, the United States may provoke an escalation and worsening of the security situation in Iraq, the Iraqi military believes.

Shock exchange

Recall, on March 11, the Al-Taji military base in Iraq was subjected to rocket fire, which killed two American troops and a British military doctor. Another 14 people were injured. Washington accused the Shiite group Kataib Hezbollah, as well as Iranian authorities, of attacking.

“A lot of missiles were used, it was fully established that it was Iran. As you know, it was a rebel group, but most likely Iran could support it, ”said US President Donald Trump, commenting on the incident.

The Kataib Hezbollah group is part of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Force (Hashd al-Shaabi), which have fought against the Islamic State since 2014 *. The Hashd al-Shaabai leadership rejected its involvement in the attack on US military installations.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry in response expressed protest to the American leadership. The representative of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Abbas Mousavi, called the statements of the American leader "baseless." The diplomat also warned the American side against rash steps, noting that it was the US presence in Iraq that is a factor in tension in this country.

  • Members of Kataib Hezbollah
  • Reuters
  • © Thaier al-Sudani

However, the American leadership preferred a military response - on March 12, the United States attacked five arms depots of the Kataib Hezbollah group in Iraq. This was stated in a message posted on the Pentagon website.

“Earlier this evening, the US launched defensive point strikes against Kataib Hezbollah facilities in Iraq. These strikes were aimed at five weapons depots, ”the department said.

In turn, the head of the British Foreign Ministry, Dominic Raab, said that US air strikes at the warehouses of the Kataib Hezbollah group were a “decisive and proportionate” response to the “cowardly attack” on coalition forces in Iraq.

At the same time, the Hashd Al-Shaabi facilities were also affected by the blows. According to the organization, these US attacks will not go unanswered.

The outrage of official Baghdad is also related to the fact that Khashd Al-Shaabi is part of the Iraqi national army, Konstantin Truevtsev, senior researcher at the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, explained in an interview with RT.

“Therefore, the infrastructure of Hashd Al-Shaabi is located in the same place as the facilities of the regular government army. Accordingly, attacks are carried out on everyone - both on the Iraqi Armed Forces and on the objects of the grouping, ”the expert noted.

As Tehran warned, American shelling of objects in Iraq further increased tension in the region.

Soon another American base was bombarded: according to media reports, a rocket fell on the territory of the base in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk. The Iraqi military managed to find the installation from which the shell was fired, as well as 11 more unreleased missiles.

On March 14, Al-Taji’s American base was attacked again, injuring five people, two of them Iraqi troops and three fighters from an international coalition. This was announced on Twitter by the official representative of the coalition led by the United States to combat the Islamic State, Colonel Miles Cuggins. According to the American command, 25 107 mm missiles fell on the territory of the base.

According to experts, the source of military exacerbation in Iraq is Washington’s policy in the region. This point of view is held, in particular, by Boris Dolgov, a leading researcher at the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

“This situation is connected with the hegemonic policy of the United States. Formally, Washington recognizes Iraq as a sovereign state, but in practice this contradicts the very fact of the presence of the US military in Iraq. The situation in the region depends entirely on US tactics, which are unlikely to be changed in the foreseeable future, ”the expert said in an interview with RT.

Explosion of indignation

The shelling was carried out amid rising anti-American sentiment in Iraq due to the assassination of Iranian General Kassem Suleimani by the US military. The IRGC commander was killed in a U.S. missile strike at Baghdad airport in early January 2020. Then, in response to Washington’s actions, the Iraqi government announced preparations for the withdrawal of the US military from the country. The Iraqi parliament voted for a resolution calling on the Cabinet to put an end to the foreign military presence in the country.

  • US military base at Taji
  • Reuters
  • © Thaier al-Sudani

Anti-American sentiments found their expression in street demonstrations, in January a series of protests took place in the country, the participants of which demanded the withdrawal of the US military from the country.

So, on January 24 in Baghdad and other cities of Iraq, a “march of millions” took place at the call of the well-known Shiite military-political figure Muktada al-Sadr, who opposed the American military presence in Iraq.

However, Washington rejected the possibility of the withdrawal of American troops from the country. This was stated by Special Representative of the US Secretary of State for Cooperation in Syria and Special Envoy to the International Coalition Against the IG James Jeffrey. The diplomat said that the United States is not going to discuss the withdrawal of troops from Iraq.

  • Donald trump
  • Reuters
  • © Joshua Roberts

Also earlier, Donald Trump threatened Iraq with sanctions if the country's authorities show "hostility" towards the United States.

“We have a very expensive air base, which is located there. Its construction cost billions of dollars. Long before me. We won’t leave if they don’t pay us for it, ”the US president emphasized when commenting on a statement by Iraqi officials about a possible withdrawal of the American contingent from the country.

At the same time, experts doubt that the presence of a coalition led by the United States in Iraq is justified in terms of counter-terrorism. According to Boris Dolgov, the Islamic State is no longer a danger and the fight against it cannot be considered a basis for the preservation of the foreign military contingent in the country.

“There is an Iraqi army that is combat-ready enough to prevent, with the support of Shiite volunteers, a possible revival of the Islamic State,” the expert said.

However, Baghdad is unlikely to achieve serious international support for its demands on Washington.

“Iraq rightly demands respect for its sovereignty, but this cannot be put into practice, since the country was occupied by the United States during the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime. Most likely, now the American leadership will remind Iraqi colleagues about the instability in the region, as well as about bilateral agreements, according to which the US military is in Iraq, ”said Boris Dolgov.

A similar point of view is shared by Konstantin Truevtsev.

“The Iraqi authorities have already tried to put pressure on the US side, demanding in January the withdrawal of US troops from the country. However, Washington is pursuing its own interests and does not intend to withdraw its bases from the region. As regards appeals to the UN, perhaps Baghdad’s initiative may have prospects at the site of the UN General Assembly, where many countries can vote for it. But resolutions of the UN General Assembly are not binding. And in the UN Security Council, the United States will immediately veto a draft resolution condemning the actions of the American side, ”the expert summed up.

* “Islamic State” (ISIS, ISIS) - the organization was recognized as terrorist by decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of December 29, 2014.