Thursday 28 March 2024 
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US Embassy Demonstrations Signal Iraqi People Won’t Tolerate Interventionist US Policies

A West Asia analyst said the Tuesday demonstrations around the US Embassy in Iraq were another downturn in Iraq-US relations that show the Iraqi people are bent on stopping US intervention in their country’s affairs.

As Reported by Qods News Agency (Qodsna) Jafar Qanadbashi, a former Iranian ambassador to Libya, made the statement in an interview with Qodsna on Wednesday.

 

Dozens of protesters held demonstrations in and around the US Embassy compound in Baghdad on Tuesday, angered by deadly airstrikes targeting Kataeb Hezbollah, a section of Popular Mobilization Forces.

 

The demonstrations followed US airstrikes on Sunday that killed 25 fighters of the group in Iraq. According to AP, the US military said the strikes were in retaliation for last week’s killing of an American contractor in a

rocket attack on an Iraqi military base that the US blamed on Kataeb Hezbollah.

 

There were no reports of casualties. The US State Department said all American personnel were safe and that there were no plans to evacuate the embassy.

 

Qanadbashi said the demonstrations caught the US by surprise, because it expected a PMF response and not a popular one.

 

“PMF had warned that US attacks against Iraqi forces would draw a crushing response, but they did not expect such a firm and hard response,” he said.

 

Qanadbashi said the embassy attack showed that the Iraqi people have awakened and will continue to counter the US until American troops leave Iraq. 

 

PMF’s Unforgivable Crime

 

The US attack outraged the Iraqi government, which called the attack a “flagrant violation” of its sovereignty. Baghdad has said it will reconsider its relationship with the US-led coalition with which it has an

agreement to keep some US troops in the country.

 

 

Qanadbashi said the US has long been seeking to hit PMF, because they have committed an unforgivable “crime”.

 

“Their crime is turning the Daesh project a failure,” he said, pointing to 2016 remarks by then-US candidate Donald Trump that Daesh was founded by former US president Barack Obama.

 

“PMF, aided by Iran’s military and strategic consultations, could rapidly bring down Daesh flags and leave the US surprised,” he said.

 

“PMF has been regarded a serious threat by the Pentagon for a long time. They sought an opportunity to hit a group that has fought Daesh for years,” he said.

 

Qanadbashi said the US seeks to remain in Iraq at any costs to be able to control the Iraqi government.

 

“The long-term US goal is to turn Iraq into another milk cow, because this country holds second largest oil reserves across the globe,” he said.

 

President Donald Trump has blamed Iran for the embassy demonstrations and called on Iraq to protect the diplomatic mission.

 

Iran has denied any role in the attacks or demonstrations.




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