Thousand of Iraqis attacked and disrupted the US embassy in Baghdad Dec. 31 in protest against a US airstrike that reportedly killed 25 members of the Iranian-backed Shiite militia Kataib Hezbollah. The US government is now sending additional soldiers. Protesters marched through checkpoints that regulate access to the highly secured Green Zone in the city, shouted “America is the Great Satan,” burned US flags and hoisted the yellow flags of Hezbollah in front of the walls of the embassy.

US Embassy Staff Are Reportedly Safe

US Ambassador to Iraq Matthew Tueller and his staff have been brought to safety under Iraqi government protection. Only a few security forces at the embassy were left behind as dozens of supporters of the Iraqi-Shiite militia stormed the area.

Iraqi security forces had tried unsuccessfully to stop the demonstrators. When water bottles were thrown and surveillance cameras destroyed, the teams withdrew. In the city center of Baghdad, which is home to numerous ministries and embassies, further demonstrators gathered and tried to march towards the US embassy. Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi urged people to withdraw immediately. Any aggression against foreign representations will be severely punished, he said.

As early as Sunday night Dec. 29, protests against the USA took place in the predominantly Shiite cities of Basra and Najaf. Just as in Baghdad, demonstrators set fire to US flags and shouted anti-American slurs. Similar scenes were reported from Kirkuk in the north.

US Sec Def Esper: Necessary Measures Will Be Taken

In response to the anti-US actions rocking the country, the US military sent additional troops to secure diplomatic representation in the country. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper announced that measures would be taken to ensure the safety of US citizens, diplomats, and military personnel. He made no statement about how many soldiers and what equipment would be sent as reinforcements, although 100 US Marines and two Apache helicopters were deployed to the embassy area in Baghdad Tuesday night.

US Secretary of State Pompeo made calls to the Iraqi leadership vowing that the US government would “protect and defend” its citizens in Iraq. Both Iraqi Prime Minister Mahdi and President Barham Salih have reportedly assured Pompeo that Iraq takes its responsibility seriously to ensure the security of US troops and facilities.

President Trump’s Reaction

Meanwhile, President Trump blamed Iran for the riots in a tweet saying the Iranians would be “held fully responsible.” The alleged triggers of the current riots are the US airstrikes the previous week when the Kataib Hezbollah militia in Iraq and Syria was bombed. Twenty-five casualties and fifty injured individuals were reported by the group. The militia backed by Iran has announced it will retaliate for the attacks.

The Pentagon said the US airstrikes were a response to a rocket attack on a military facility near Kirkuk in northern Iraq, in which an employee of a company commissioned by the US Department of Defense was killed on Friday. Washington considers the Hezbollah brigades to be responsible for the attack.

The Tense Situation In Iraq Just Got Even Tenser

The embassy in Baghdad is the largest US embassy worldwide and was officially opened in January 2009. In May, the State Department temporarily withdrew some of its embassy staff and consulate staff in Erbil in northern Iraq due to security concerns. Soon after, in September, the Baghdad embassy was also hit by two rockets in an apparent terrorist attack.

The embassy attacks and protests occur amid a tense situation between the US and Iran but also demonstrate that sixteen years after the US liberated Iraq from the dictatorial reign of Saddam Hussein, resentments and hate towards the US remain strong in the region. At the same time, fraternization with terrorist groups like Hezbollah remains a part of Iraq’s modern political landscape.

L'articolo US Embassy In Baghdad Under Siege proviene da InsideOver.

In the span of a few months, Iraq has gone from an optimistic state that had won its war against ISIS to a protest-filled nation confronting the possibility of the terror group’s return.

“Iraq has not learned the lesson from ISIS,” said Hisham al-Hashimi, Iraqi expert on ISIS in March. “Especially when it comes to co-existing and civil security, accepting others and apologizing to others, the same reasons that made ISIS a state are still there and growing.”

That statement, made after Baghdad was liberated and life had returned to the city streets, seems particularly ominous now as the terror group rebuilds in a northern valley of Iraq, outside of government control. 

“As we approach politics, its a most serious challenge, the terrorist challenge, I want to point out that Iraqi political life is at a stage of transformation in which victory over terrorism and violence must be strengthened by further reforms and actions that would make it a decisive victory,” said Iraqi President Barham Salih in March.

Since that time, protestors have rallied against poor economic conditions, alleged foreign interference from Iran, and charges of corruption. Demonstrations, now in their second month, have proved the reforms Salih spoke of were merely words and the resurgence of the terror group indicates his administration is incapable of fulfilling the ultimate goal of reshaping the Iraqi government to prevent its return to relevance in his state. 

Resurgence

The failure of the Iraqi government is coupled with the recent Turkish invasion into northern Syria during which an unknown number of ISIS prisoners escaped. Both the military incursion and liberation of imprisoned fighters have caused terrorists to cross into Iraq. The new ISIS home, in a valley between land controlled by the Kurdish and Iraqi Army on both sides, is not patrolled by either faction. 

“They have some tunnels, they have some caves,” said Gen. Sirwan Barzani, commander of the Kurdish peshmerga forces. “And they are moving — especially at night.” 

Kurdish estimates peg the terrorist group at only a couple hundred strong, presently, but that could be enough to spark a resurgence according to Barzani. 

“You can say they are [in] exactly the same situation of ISIS in 2012 in Iraq,” he said. “It’s the same situation there now. They are starting to reorganize themselves.”

The group’s return to power was predicted in a report from the US military in February, which gave a timeline estimate of six to 12 months, barring “sustained pressure” on the militants. 

International Response

The international community is placing blame on the Turkish military incursion into Syria and French President Emmanuel Macron was adamant that Ankara stop the operation. On his behalf, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian met with Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi on Oct. 16. The takeaway from the meeting was that the focus should be on limiting the fallout from Turkey’s role in Syria and the spread of ISIS fighters from the country. 

“Concerning the situation in Syria, there was extensive and wide discussions on what the two countries could do considering that France is a main partner in the International Coalition [against ISIS],” Iraq’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed Ali Hakeem said at a joint press conference with Le Drian following their meeting. 

“We were partners in the fight against ISIS, and we have to be partners in the rebuilding phase and the new danger due to Turkey’s incursion into north and northeastern Syria,” Le Drian added. 

He called for an International Coalition meeting on the issue in light of the dangers posed by a possible resurgence. For Iraq, more immediate concerns about protests are taking precedence, however. 

“Iraq shows all too many signs of returning to the kind of internal instability that led to low-level civil war in 2011 and the rise of (Islamic State),” says Anthony Cordesman, analyst for the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, “and that undercuts any efforts to bring stability and defeat extremism”.

Salih is preparing to announce an electoral reform law and will likely call new elections, but few have high hopes for the outcome and protests are likely to continue. 

L'articolo ISIS rebuilding in Iraqi valley proviene da InsideOver.