Above Photo: Members of Kataib Hezbollah at the funeral of commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was killed in an air strike at Baghdad airport, in Baghdad, Iraq. Thaier al-Sudani/Reuters.
Iraqi resistance factions say they will resume attacks against US forces if the government does not take action to end the occupation.
Iraq’s Resistance Coordination Committee issued an ultimatum to the government of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, demanding immediate action against “US violations” in the country, Al-Sharq Al-Awsat reported on 26 June.
The committee expressed its “unwavering commitment to prioritizing the interests of the Iraqi people, particularly in light of the significant political, security, and economic challenges facing the nation.”
It also said that a temporary halt on military operations against the US occupation army “should not be misconstrued as acceptance of the ongoing presence of US forces, which we consider illegal and unconstitutional.”
As a result of this, the resistance factions say they are giving Baghdad “final opportunity” to address the violations, clarifying their patience is not “infinite” and warned that failure to heed their demands would result in a reaction.
The Resistance Coordination Committee includes Asaib Ahl al-Haq (AAH), Harakat al-Nujaba (HaN), Kataib Hezbollah (KH), Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS), and Kataib al-Imam Ali (KAIA).
Shia armed groups known as the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), formed to fight ISIS in 2014, are also part of the committee.
US troops remain in Iraq despite a 2020 Iraqi Parliament vote ordering their eviction from the country after the murder of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and PMU deputy leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
In the statement, the committee also condemned US “interference” in Iraqi affairs, Washington’s “flagrant violations” of Iraqi sovereignty, and the detrimental effects of the continued presence of US military bases, combat forces, and military aviation in Iraq. Additionally, they accused the US embassy of spreading “vice, moral deviation, and undermining the Iraqi cultural identity.”
The groups also expressed concern over alleged attempts to manipulate Iraqi rights and deprive the population of essential services, notably electricity.
Nonetheless, the US ambassador to Iraq, Alina Romanowski, has continued to praise the cooperation between her country and the Iraqi government at all levels.
Sources close to the Resistance Committee earlier reported that Romanowski informed some political parties that “Washington may target some Iraqi leaders, mainly the leader of Harakat al-Nujaba (HAN), Akram al-Kabi, who threatens US interests.”
Al-Kabi had repeatedly criticized the US. His views contradict the positions announced by the Coordination Framework (CF) bloc that leads the current government in Iraq and seeks to strengthen its foreign relations with the US.