Will Iraq ever stop rocket fire and attacks on US and Western countries?

SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 12:34

Parts of Iraq’s government want to put an end to the increasing harassment campaign aimed at the US embassy and foreign Western countries in Iraq. In the last weeks there have been attacks almost every day either aimed at the US embassy and the Green Zone or against logistics convoys that supply American personnel. Now Iraq is saying it will send elite counter-terror forces to find the rocket launchers that targeted diplomats. Since July 23 there have been at least 32 attacks on US or foreign forces.

The US is drawing down troops in Iraq to only a few thousand and many will be in the friendly Kurdistan autonomous region. Others are at Union III in Baghdad, near the airport and also at Al-Asad base. The US-led coalition against ISIS handed over more than half a dozen facilities on various bases to the Iraqis in the last eight months. This comes in the wake of a year and a half of rocket attacks on bases where US troops were present. The attacks killed four personnel and the US carried out retaliatory airstrikes in December 2019 and March 2020. Pro-Iranian groups, led by members of the government-paid Popular Mobilization Units and IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani attacked the US embassy in December and the US killed Soleimani.

Now Iraq appears to be partly lawless as groups likely affiliated with part of the government are involved in attacks on the diplomatic zone in Baghdad, the airport and on convoys. These groups are usually directed by pro-Iranian Kataib Hezbollah but have adopted names that make them seem “independent.” This is how Iran operates to achieve plausible deniability. It undermines the rule of Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi. He has sought to balance Iraq’s different factions and pull the country out of economic malaise and a year and a half of crisis.

In June Kadhimi sent the counter-terrorism service to raid Kataib Hezbollah and detain some of its members. But they were released days later. Now reports indicate that the Iraqi government has sent the counter terrorism service to search for rocket launchers used in attacks on the Green Zone. It’s unclear if Iraq can make full its promises to stop the attacks on diplomatic facilities.

Facilities have been attacked on July 23, August 3, 9, 23, 26, September 2, 3, 5, 7, 15, 18, 21, rockets fired on July 24, 27, 28, 30, 31, August 3, 5, 11, 14, 15, 16, 18, 28, 29, 30, September 6, 7, 10, 15, 16 and 20.  This is an unprecedented level of attacks. The US has sent air defense, called C-RAM to counter the threats. Some of the attacks appear to be to send a message and to harass the US, rather than to inflict casualties. US commanders indicate that Iran is deterred although it calls this “contested deterrence.”

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