Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades Threaten Al-Zaidi
Baghdad (Agencies): The Kata’ib Hezbollah, an Iranian-aligned Iraqi militia, issued a statement on Monday night-Tuesday condemning what it described as the provocative and irresponsible actions of Prime Minister Ali al-Abadi, while the government reaffirmed its determination to proceed with a plan to disarm armed groups, most of which are close to Iran, and threatened to retaliate. Kata’ib Hezbollah is one of the most influential and Tehran-aligned militias in Iraq. Over the years, it has carried out attacks on US interests in Iraq and has lost several of its top commanders in US strikes on its positions.
Al-Abadi gave the factions until September 30 to relinquish their weapons, coinciding with the end of the international coalition’s mission and the withdrawal of US troops. Abu Mahdi al-Assaf, a security official in the militia, said in the statement: “Our patience is running out regarding the provocative and irresponsible actions of the young al-Abadi. We may begin to operate on the principle of ‘an eye for an eye.’” Al-Assaf stated that factions committed to retaining their weapons demand the complete and genuine withdrawal of the international coalition, the liberation of political and economic decision-making from US hegemony, the removal of Turkish forces stationed for years in northern Iraq under the pretext of fighting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), and the disbandment of the armed Peshmerga forces affiliated with the Kurdistan Regional Government.
Two Iraqi political sources told the Agence France-Presse that al-Abadi had informed political leaders of his readiness to confront and clash with factions insisting on retaining their arms if they refuse to cooperate after the deadline expires. The threats came ahead of a visit today by Iranian Assembly of Experts Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf to Iraq for talks. The Iranian Fars News Agency reported that Qalibaf will lead a high-level parliamentary delegation to discuss regional developments, enhance strategic cooperation between Tehran and Baghdad, and explore joint solutions to contribute to stability and security in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, quoted an Iranian official as saying that the recent visit of the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran to Baghdad discussed the collection of Iran’s outstanding claims against Iraq, amounting to $12 billion.
In a separate development, al-Abadi ordered an investigation into a drone attack on the Kurdistan Region, which Iran considered suspicious, while Kurdish authorities accused Tehran of being behind it. Al-Abadi directed the formation of an investigative committee to uncover the sources and origins of the attack, announce the investigation’s findings to the public as soon as possible, and reveal all circumstances and entities behind the assault, according to a statement from his office.
In parallel, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a statement that Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif informed his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein that he had no information indicating that the attacks originated from Iranian territory and that there was no justification for such acts. Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baqaei condemned the attack, describing it as a highly suspicious development requiring close attention, according to the official IRNA news agency.
