Pompeo Threatens to ‘Liquidate’ Iraq’s Anti-Terror Groups
WASHINGTON (Dispatches) -- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo privately warned Iraq this week that the United States would close its embassy in Baghdad if the Iraqi government doesn’t move to stop attacks on the American compound, the Washington Post reports.
Pompeo’s demand creates a stark dilemma for Iraq’s new prime minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who until now had been a Trump administration favorite, the paper said.
If Pompeo follows through and closes the embassy, the Post said, it could be a prelude to heavy U.S. airstrikes against the Iraqi groups which are strongly opposed to the American occupation of their land.
A senior State Department official, quoted by the paper, urged Kadhimi "to do more and faster” against the anti-U.S. groups which have been central to the Arab country’s defeat of takfiri terrorists, such as Daesh and Al-Qaeda.
Attacks on U.S. troops have been escalating in recent weeks. So far this month alone, there have been 25 attacks on convoys carrying supplies to U.S. or coalition facilities, on the Green Zone where the U.S. Embassy is located, or on the Baghdad airport, according to a compilation by Iraq analyst Joel Wing. Last month, he counted 24 such attacks.
Pompeo’s pressure campaign began with a call Sunday to Iraqi President Barham Salih, according to Iraqi24, a Baghdad news site. The Iraqi news account said Pompeo had warned: "The decision to close the embassy in Baghdad is in President Trump’s hands and is ready. … If our forces withdraw and the embassy is closed in this way, we will liquidate all those who have been proven to have been involved in these attacks,” according to a translation of the Arabic news article. Pompeo specifically named two anti-terror groups, Kataib Hezbollah and Asaib Ahl al-Haq.
According to an opinion piece published on the Washington Post, "the danger of Pompeo’s ultimatum is the same one that has plagued the United States since it invaded Iraq in 2003.”
"Iraq has shown us repeatedly that American military power is overwhelming but can’t dictate political outcomes. Direct threats that become public, like Pompeo’s, rarely work out as intended,” it warned.
Iraq’s relations with the U.S. turned bitter in January when a U.S. drone struck a convoy outside Baghdad airport, assassinating Iran’s top anti-terror commander General Qassem Soleimani and his Iraqi trenchmate Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
Just two days later, Iraqi lawmakers unanimously passed a bill mandating the expulsion of all foreign troops from Iraq.
Trump then threatened Iraq with sanctions and seizure of its oil money held in American banks if the country’s leaders followed through their pledge to expel U.S. forces.
Iraqi resistance groups have promised to take up arms against U.S. forces if Washington fails to comply with the parliamentary order.
More than 17 years after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Trump said last month the United States would eventually withdraw all troops from the conflict-ridden nation, though he did not provide a timetable.
"At some point, we obviously will be gone,” Trump said in his meeting with the Iraqi premier on August 20. "We look forward to the day when we don’t have to be there,” he added before the two men met privately.
There are currently about 5,000 troops in Iraq. Their assignments include alleged counter-terrorism operations and training Iraqi security forces.
Throughout their purported battle, however, several Iraqi officials and military commanders have come forth to reveal that U.S. soldiers were in fact assisting the terrorists.
Pompeo’s demand creates a stark dilemma for Iraq’s new prime minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who until now had been a Trump administration favorite, the paper said.
If Pompeo follows through and closes the embassy, the Post said, it could be a prelude to heavy U.S. airstrikes against the Iraqi groups which are strongly opposed to the American occupation of their land.
A senior State Department official, quoted by the paper, urged Kadhimi "to do more and faster” against the anti-U.S. groups which have been central to the Arab country’s defeat of takfiri terrorists, such as Daesh and Al-Qaeda.
Attacks on U.S. troops have been escalating in recent weeks. So far this month alone, there have been 25 attacks on convoys carrying supplies to U.S. or coalition facilities, on the Green Zone where the U.S. Embassy is located, or on the Baghdad airport, according to a compilation by Iraq analyst Joel Wing. Last month, he counted 24 such attacks.
Pompeo’s pressure campaign began with a call Sunday to Iraqi President Barham Salih, according to Iraqi24, a Baghdad news site. The Iraqi news account said Pompeo had warned: "The decision to close the embassy in Baghdad is in President Trump’s hands and is ready. … If our forces withdraw and the embassy is closed in this way, we will liquidate all those who have been proven to have been involved in these attacks,” according to a translation of the Arabic news article. Pompeo specifically named two anti-terror groups, Kataib Hezbollah and Asaib Ahl al-Haq.
According to an opinion piece published on the Washington Post, "the danger of Pompeo’s ultimatum is the same one that has plagued the United States since it invaded Iraq in 2003.”
"Iraq has shown us repeatedly that American military power is overwhelming but can’t dictate political outcomes. Direct threats that become public, like Pompeo’s, rarely work out as intended,” it warned.
Iraq’s relations with the U.S. turned bitter in January when a U.S. drone struck a convoy outside Baghdad airport, assassinating Iran’s top anti-terror commander General Qassem Soleimani and his Iraqi trenchmate Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
Just two days later, Iraqi lawmakers unanimously passed a bill mandating the expulsion of all foreign troops from Iraq.
Trump then threatened Iraq with sanctions and seizure of its oil money held in American banks if the country’s leaders followed through their pledge to expel U.S. forces.
Iraqi resistance groups have promised to take up arms against U.S. forces if Washington fails to comply with the parliamentary order.
More than 17 years after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Trump said last month the United States would eventually withdraw all troops from the conflict-ridden nation, though he did not provide a timetable.
"At some point, we obviously will be gone,” Trump said in his meeting with the Iraqi premier on August 20. "We look forward to the day when we don’t have to be there,” he added before the two men met privately.
There are currently about 5,000 troops in Iraq. Their assignments include alleged counter-terrorism operations and training Iraqi security forces.
Throughout their purported battle, however, several Iraqi officials and military commanders have come forth to reveal that U.S. soldiers were in fact assisting the terrorists.