{"id":79156,"date":"2023-12-11T19:10:41","date_gmt":"2023-12-11T19:10:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/12\/11\/iraq-scrambles-to-contain-fighting-amid-attacks-on-us-troops\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T15:12:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T15:12:30","slug":"iraq-scrambles-to-contain-fighting-amid-attacks-on-us-troops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2023\/12\/11\/iraq-scrambles-to-contain-fighting-amid-attacks-on-us-troops\/","title":{"rendered":"Iraq scrambles to contain fighting amid attacks on US troops"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BAGHDAD \u2014 Dozens of attacks on U.S. military facilities by Iran-backed factions in Iraq over the past two months as the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/israel-palestine\/\" target=\"_blank\">Israel-Hamas war<\/a>&nbsp;has raged have forced Baghdad into a balancing act that\u2019s becoming more difficult by the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A rocket&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/us-embassy-baghdad-attack-a319727033599d921aba8da329ac9589\" target=\"_blank\">attack on the sprawling U.S. Embassy<\/a>&nbsp;in Baghdad on Friday marked a further escalation as Iraqi officials scramble to contain the ripple effects of the latest Middle East war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Iran holds considerable sway in Iraq and a coalition of Iran-backed groups brought Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to power in October 2022. At the same time, there are some 2,000 U.S. troops in Iraq under an agreement with Baghdad, mainly to counter the militant Islamic State group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Baghdad also relies heavily on Washington\u2019s sanctions waivers to buy electricity from Iran, and since the 2003 U.S. invasion,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/united-states-government-iraq-business-0628bad5e4d46315951c90681baba202\" target=\"_blank\">Iraq\u2019s foreign currency reserves<\/a>&nbsp;have been housed at the U.S. Federal Reserve, giving the Americans significant control over Iraq\u2019s supply of dollars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Al-Sudani\u2019s predecessors also had to walk a delicate line between Tehran and Washington, but the Israel-Hamas war has considerably upped the stakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since the&nbsp;war erupted on Oct. 7, at least 91 attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria have been claimed by an umbrella group of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/israel-palestine\/2023\/11\/22\/iranian-backed-group-vows-to-grow-conflict-if-us-airstrikes-continue\/\" target=\"_blank\">Iran-backed Iraqi militants<\/a>&nbsp;dubbed the Islamic Resistance in Iraq. The militants say their attacks are in retaliation for&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/israel-palestinians-un-resolution-ceasefire-humanitarian-6d3bfd31d6c25168e828274d96b85cf8\" target=\"_blank\">Washington\u2019s backing of Israel<\/a>&nbsp;and its military presence in Iraq and Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Al-Sudani has condemned the attacks and U.S. counter-strikes as a violation of his country\u2019s sovereignty. He has also ordered authorities to pursue militants involved in the attacks, most of which caused no injuries and only minor damage. His office declined further comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Washington has sent messages that its patience is wearing thin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After the embassy attack, the Pentagon said that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin \u201cmade clear (to al-Sudani) that attacks against U.S. forces must stop.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told al-Sudani that Washington expects Iraqi officials to take more action to prevent such attacks, and believes they have the capability to do so, a U.S. official told The Associated Press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During a recent trip to the region, CIA Director William Burns warned al-Sudani of \u201charsh consequences\u201d if Iraq doesn\u2019t act to stop the attacks, an Iraqi official said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with briefing regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a call with the Iraqi premier earlier this month, Blinken said that Americans would take matters into their own hands, arguing that Baghdad had not done enough to pursue the perpetrators, according to two Iraqi officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two days later, a U.S. strike on a drone launch site near the Iraqi city of Kirkuk killed five militants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. and much of the international community have scrambled to prevent the war in the besieged Gaza Strip from expanding across the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Analyst Renad Mansour said he believes Iran is making sure the attacks remain below a threshold that would provoke a major U.S. response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBoth Iran and Iraq have maintained thus far a clear line that, at the moment, Iraq cannot turn into a playground that could destabilize the Sudani government,\u201d said Mansour, a senior research fellow at the Chatham House think tank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said that\u2019s partially due to Iraq\u2019s role of passing messages between Washington and Tehran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sometimes the messenger is al-Sudani.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In early November, Blinken met with al-Sudani in Baghdad a day before the Iraqi prime minister was set to visit Tehran. Al-Sudani had won a specific promise from the militias that no attacks would be launched during Blinken\u2019s visit, according to an Iraqi official and a member of the Kataib Hezbollah militia. Following the visit, al-Sudani carried a message from Blinken to Iran to restrain the militias.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A week after the Iraqi premier\u2019s diplomatic efforts,&nbsp;the United States extended Iraq\u2019s sanctions waiver&nbsp;by four months to purchase Iranian electricity. Iran-hawks in Washington criticized the move, saying it would shore up revenue for Tehran while its proxies are at war with Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mansour says Washington has used the sanctions waiver as \u201cone of its cards\u201d in economy-centered efforts to&nbsp;pressure Iran and Iraq.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unlike Lebanon\u2019s Hezbollah group, seen as Iran\u2019s most powerful proxy in the region, Iraq\u2019s militias have so far only played a limited role in the conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For now, only small number of militiamen from Iraq are in southern Lebanon, near Israel\u2019s northern border, said the official from the Kataib Hezbollah group. He said the Iraqis are working on \u201cbattle management\u201d alongside Hezbollah and representatives of Hamas, the militant group that has ruled Gaza for 16 years and is currently battling Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said Iran-backed groups in Iraq don\u2019t want the conflict to spread across the region, but are prepared to respond with force to any attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Should Iran and allies choose to escalate, al-Sudani\u2019s government will likely be unable to rein them in or prevent consequences on Iraqi soil, said Iyad al-Anbar, a political science professor at Baghdad University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAnd this is why all al-Sudani has been able to do is try to bring some calm through statements,\u201d said al-Anbar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Chehayeb reported from Beirut. Associated Press writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dozens of attacks on U.S. military facilities by Iran-backed factions in Iraq over the past two months have forced Baghdad into a balancing 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