URGENT MESSAGE FOR IQD INVESTORS: The Iraqi Prime Minister told us what the problem is, we did not hear his plea.

 

"Iraq is going through a dangerous period with several concurrent challenges, including the presence of rogue Shiite militant groups," the country’s Prime Minister has warned.

The Prime Minister of Iraq made this statement at a press conference with the Iranian president after a meeting in Tehran.  Maybe we didn't hear the PM's plea because of when and where he was when he made it. 

Perhaps we thought, that anything that he said while in Tehran was not in our interest and journalist just passed over the news story and went to the next story.  The press conference was in November of 2023 and here's what happened: 

It was a rare condemnation of the groups, some of which are linked to his political allies, in his latest speech.

Since taking office last October, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani has always struck an optimistic tone in his public speeches.

In a meeting to mark the sixth anniversary of ISIS' defeat, Mr Al Sudani told the Federal Police that Iraq is at a crucial juncture in its history.

There are still challenges at this juncture, and this necessitates our proactive approach to confront them," Mr Al Sudani said.

In their view, the escalation between Iran-backed Shiite militants and US forces has been caused by Washington's support for Israel's bombardment of Gaza.

As a result of the attack on the US embassy, the Iraqi PM has placed security forces under investigation.

There has been little violence in Iraq for a year, but Shiite militias have resumed rocket and drone attacks against US troops, though attacks by the groups in Syria have been more frequent, including an attack in March that killed a US soldier.

There are 2,500 US troops in Iraq and 900 in neighbouring Syria advising and assisting local forces to prevent the resurgence of ISIS, which in 2014 seized vast areas of both countries.

According to them, the attacks are aimed at expelling US forces from Iraq, as well as to pressure Israel to stop operations in Gaza after Hamas militants killed around 1,200 civilians in an attack on October 7.

US forces in Iraq and Syria have been attacked about 84 times since then, according to the Pentagon. The US has responded with several strikes killing at least 15 militants in Iraq and about seven in Syria.

In Baghdad, where the US embassy is located, several rockets were fired at dawn on Friday. The attacks did not cause any casualties, according to Iraqi security officials. Some rockets hit the embassy compound, while others hit the headquarters of the Iraqi National Security Service.

In contrast to other attacks, no group immediately claimed responsibility.

The Co-ordination Framework, an umbrella group of Iran-backed political parties linked to militias, backed by Mr Al Sudani selection to PM.  The Prime Minster  denounced the attacks as "acts of terrorism" and promised to apprehend those responsible. He also called for an urgent meeting with his backers.

"While this government, formed a year ago, is exerting exceptional efforts across all ministries - be it services, economy, or security - it faces individuals, groups, and entities that are trying to position themselves as guardians," the Prime Minister said.

His warning was that they are trying to "seize control over the decisions of the constitutional and legal state institutions".

"We will face this challenge," he said.

Kataib Hezbollah, which is allied with Tehran, rejected attempts to halt the attacks over the weekend.

Note from Blog Editor:  Houston, we have a problem!