Like in Beirut, tensions rise in Baghdad after drone kills Shia militia leader
A drone strikes a base of the pro-Iranian Popular Mobilisation Forces, blamed for recent attacks against targets linked to the US-led coalition in retaliation for the Gaza war. For the Iraqi government, the action was a “violation of sovereignty” and a “dangerous escalation". In an audiotape, the Islamic State’s new leader, al-Ansari, tries to profit from the conflict in Gaza.
AsiaNews (Agencies) – Amid fears of a spillover from the Gaza conflict, violence flares up in Iraq. A drone today hit a logistical base of the pro-Iranian, mostly Shia Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) in eastern Baghdad.
Two commanders were killed in the operation, including Mushtaq Talib al-Saeedi, better known as Abu Taqwa, former commander of the Harakat al-Nujaba brigade and deputy commander of Baghdad belt operations.
The Iraqi government blamed the US-led coalition for the operation, calling it a "blatant violation of [Iraqi] sovereignty."
“The Iraqi Armed Forces holds the international coalition forces responsible for this unprovoked attack on an Iraqi security body … we consider this targeting a dangerous escalation and attack on Iraq,” Yehia Rasool, military spokesperson for Iraq’s prime minister, said in a statement.
Al-Nujaba is one of the Iranian-backed groups that Washington blames for a series of drone strikes against US interests in Iraq and Syria since mid-October in response to US support for Israel in its war against the Palestinian Hamas group in the Gaza Strip.
The Iraqi government has said its security forces are dedicated to safeguarding diplomatic missions in the country. While calling attacks against them "hostile acts," it stressed that US airstrikes are "unacceptable" and a "violation" of its sovereignty.
In the meantime, the Islamic State (IS) group is back in the news. Its al Furqan media house released a 35-minute audio recording of its new leader, Abu Hudhayfah al-Ansari, focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In IS’s usual tones, al-Ansari urges Palestinians to abandon nationalism and embrace the jihadist struggle in a speech titled “kill them (Jews and Christians) wherever you find them”.
While not mentioning yesterday’s massacre in Kerman, attributed by many observers to IS, al Ansari's message attacks Shias, urging Gaza Sunnis not to ally themselves with Iran accused of advancing its own interests.
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