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Arab News
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Iraq's prime minister seeks closer US ties while keeping armed groups at bay
BAGHDAD: The prime minister of Iraq has kept his country on the sidelines as military conflicts raged nearby for almost two years. This required balancing Iraq's relations with two countries vital to his power and enemies with each other: the US and Iran. The feat became especially difficult last month when war broke out between Israel, a US ally, and Iran — and the US struck Iranian nuclear sites. Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani said he used a mix of political and military pressure to stop armed groups aligned with Iran from entering the fray. In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Al-Sudani explains how he did this, how he plans to keep these groups in check going forward and — as he seeks a second term — why he wants to get closer to the Trump administration, even as he maintains strong ties to Iran-backed political parties that helped propel him to power in 2022. Staying on the sidelines as Israel and Iran traded blows After Israel launched airstrikes on Iran and it responded by firing missiles at Tel Aviv, armed groups in Iraq attempted to launch missiles and drones toward Israel and at bases in Iraq housing US troops, Al-Sudani said. But they were thwarted 29 times by Iraqi government 'security operations' that he did not detail. 'We know that the (Israeli) government had a policy — and still does — of expanding the war in the region,' Al-Sudani said. 'Therefore, we made sure not to give any justification to any party to target Iraq.' Al-Sudani said his government also reached out to leaders in Iran 'to urge them toward calm and to make room for dialogue and a return to negotiations.' The future of the US presence in Iraq is in flux The US and Iraq last year announced an agreement to wrap up the mission of an American-led coalition in Iraq fighting the Islamic State — and in March Al-Sudani announced that the head of IS in Iraq and Syria had been killed in a joint Iraqi-US operation. The first phase of the coalition's drawdown was supposed to be completed by September 2025, but there has been little sign of it happening. Al-Sudani said the US and Iraq will meet by the end of the year to 'arrange the bilateral security relationship' between the two countries. He also hopes to secure US economic investment — in oil and gas, and also artificial intelligence — which he said would contribute to regional security and make 'the two countries great together.' A variety of militias sprung up in Iraq in the years after the 2003 US invasion that toppled former autocratic leader Saddam Hussein. And since the war between Israel and Hamas began in October 2023, sparking regionwide conflicts, an array of pro-Iran armed factions have periodically launched strikes on bases housing US troops. Al-Sudani said the presence of the coalition forces had provided a 'justification' for Iraqi groups to arm themselves, but that once the coalition withdrawal is complete, 'there will be no need or no justification for any group to carry weapons outside the scope of the state.' The fate of Iran-backed militias in Iraq is unclear One of the most complicated issues for Al-Sudani is how to handle the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of mostly Shiite, Iran-backed militias that formed to fight IS. This coalition was formally placed under the control of the Iraqi military in 2016, although in practice it still operates with significant autonomy. The Iraqi parliament is discussing legislation that would solidify the relationship between the military and the PMF, drawing objections from Washington. The State Department said in a statement last week that the legislation 'would institutionalize Iranian influence and armed terrorist groups undermining Iraq's sovereignty.' Al-Sudani defended the proposed legislation, saying it's part of an effort to ensure that arms are controlled by the state. 'Security agencies must operate under laws and be subject to them and be held accountable,' he said. Indications of weak state authority In recent weeks, a series of drone attacks have targeted oil facilities in northern Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdish region. Kurdish regional authorities accused groups in the PMF of carrying out the attacks. Authorities in Baghdad disputed this, but haven't assigned blame. Al-Sudani called the attacks a 'terrorist act' and said his government is working with Kurdish authorities and coalition forces to identify those responsible and hold them accountable. Just as the drone attacks have called into question Baghdad's control over armed groups, so has the case of Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, who went missing in Iraq in 2023. Her family believes she is being held by the Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah, and there have reportedly been US-mediated negotiations to negotiate her release. Al-Sudani did not name the group responsible for Tsurkov's kidnapping, but he pushed back against the idea that his government has not made serious efforts to free her. He said his government has a team dedicated to finding her. 'We do not negotiate with gangs and kidnappers,' he said, but the team has been in discussions with political factions that might be able to help locate her. Rebuilding relations with Damascus Relations between Iraq and the new government in Syria have been tenuous since the fall of former President Bashar Assad in December, after a lightning offensive led by Sunni Islamist insurgents. Syria's interim President Ahmad Al-Sharaa was formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed Al-Golani. He once joined the ranks of Al-Qaeda insurgents battling US forces in Iraq after the US-led invasion in 2003. Al-Sharaa still faces a warrant for his arrest on terrorism charges in Iraq. Al-Sharaa has since broken with Al-Qaeda and has fought against the Islamic State. Al-Sudani said his government is coordinating with the new Syrian government, particularly on security matters. 'We and the administration in Syria certainly have a common enemy, Daesh, which is clearly and openly present inside Syria,' he said. Al-Sudani said his government has warned the Syrians against the mistakes that occurred in Iraq after Saddam's fall, when the ensuing security vacuum spawned years of sectarian violence and the rise of armed extremist groups. In recent weeks, sectarian violence in Syria has shaken the country's fragile postwar recovery. Al-Sudani called for Syria's current leadership to pursue a 'comprehensive political process that includes all components and communities.' 'We do not want Syria to be divided,' he said. 'This is unacceptable and we certainly do not want any foreign presence on Syrian soil,' apparently alluding to Israel's incursions into southern Syria.
Washington Post
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Iraq's prime minister seeks closer US ties while keeping armed groups at bay
BAGHDAD — The prime minister of Iraq has kept his country on the sidelines as military conflicts raged nearby for almost two years. This required balancing Iraq's relations with two countries vital to his power and enemies with each other: the U.S. and Iran. The feat became especially difficult last month when war broke out between Israel, a U.S. ally, and Iran — and the U.S. struck Iranian nuclear sites. Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said he used a mix of political and military pressure to stop armed groups aligned with Iran from entering the fray.
LBCI
2 days ago
- Politics
- LBCI
US envoy says Lebanese leaders must turn words into action on Hezbollah arms
The credibility of Lebanon's government 'rests on its ability to match principle with practice,' U.S. envoy Tom Barrack said in a post on X Sunday, urging immediate action to resolve the country's armed group dilemma. 'As its leaders have said repeatedly, it is critical that 'the state has a monopoly on arms,'' Barrack noted, pointing to Hezbollah's continued possession of weapons as a major obstacle. 'As long as Hezbollah retains arms, words will not suffice,' he said, calling on both the government and the group to 'fully commit and act now in order to not consign the Lebanese people to the stumbling status quo.'
The National
19-07-2025
- The National
Syrian President urges all sides to 'fully commit' to ceasefire
More than 700 people were killed in clashes between Druze and Bedouin armed groups in a week of violence
Washington Post
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Syrian government forces set to re-enter Sweida province after renewed Druze-Bedouin clashes
DAMASCUS, Syria — Renewed clashes broke out overnight between Druze armed groups and members of Bedouin clans in southern Syria, and government forces were preparing to deploy again to the area Friday after pulling out under a ceasefire agreement that halted several days of violence earlier this week, officials said.
