Baghdad on Edge after Green Zone Attack // FAI ONLINE

Iran-sponsored group Asaib Ahl al-Haq published pictures and videos on social media Friday, December 25th threatening the Iraqi prime minister al-Khadimi after one of its memebers was arrested in the wake of the rocket attack against the US embassy last Suday (via @BaxtiyarGoran on Twitter).

Iraqi troops were deployed to several key thoroughfares in Baghdad’s downtown district on Friday evening after Iranian-sponsored militia Asaib Ahl al-Haq (AAH) threatened Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Khadimi for cracking down on the rogue militia in the wake of a rocket attack on the US embassy last Sunday. The attack was the largest on US forces in the beleaguered nation in a decade, during which over twenty 107 mm Katyusha rockets were fired toward the US Embassy compound in the international “Green Zone.” The strike did not inflict any casualties, although two rockets slipped past surface-to-air defenses and impacted a residential complex, causing material damage to the building and several civilian vehicles.

The Iraqi PM immediately condemned the attack, promising to bring those responsible to justice. Shi’a cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, a long-time nemesis of the US military in the nation’s Shiite-majority south, also condemned the attack and deployed members of his militia to protect the compound. Even Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian-sponsored militia responsible for rocket strikes against US forces earlier this year that killed American and British personnel, distanced itself from the latest attack. Some analysts have commented that the dissonance between Iranian-linked groups shows an increasing breakdown in the ability of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to direct and coordinate its Iraqi surrogates in the wake of the assassination of its former leader and mastermind, Qassam Soleimani.

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Within 24 hours of the rocket attack, Iraqi security forces had arrested several suspects and confiscated unused rockets. US President Trump tweeted a picture of the seized munitions, claiming that they came from Iran and warning the Iranian government to “think over” its strategy of disrupting peace and the US presence in Iraq. Trump reiterated that the death of US personnel in such attacks would prompt a strong US military response. After Prime Minister al-Khadimi refused to release a member of Asaib Ahl al-Haq who had confessed to involvement in the rocket strike, AAH published several photos and videos online threatening him and the Iraqi government for its complicity with the US-led Coalition. Reports that the militia was deploying in Baghdad and possibly targeting state security agencies prompted al-Khadimi to stage Iraqi forces inside the capital on Friday evening, after which AAH backed down and denied reports that it was active i the capital. Al-Khadimi also announced the formation of a joint task-force between his office and various state security services on Friday in an effort to crack down on rogue militias. Although mostly silent on the matter of the rocket attack, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) continues to vow revenge “soon” for the death of Soleimani, as the one-year anniversary of the terror leader’s death approaches in January.

We are thankful to see that the Iraqi government is taking concrete steps to contain the influence and activity of Iranian-sponsored militias. We pray for Prime Minister al-Khadimi, that God would give him and his administration the wisdom and courage necessary to confront Iranian influence in Iraq. We pray for a divine hedge of protection around the people of Iran and Iraq as they continue to live in the shadow of the radical ayatollah regime, and that the plots and schemes of the Iranian government would continue to be exposed and thwarted. We pray that ongoing political, military, economic and health crises throughout Iraq and Iran would continue to open fields for harvest to the Father’s laborers who are ready and willing to go.

Maranatha.