BAGHDAD (Dispatches) -- Iraq’s 
government faced conflicting signals on its security and sovereignty Tuesday, as political factions clashed over the implications of a high-level U.S. envoy’s visit to Baghdad while officials declared full security independence following the formal end of the U.S.-led occupation.
The visit by U.S. Presidential Envoy Thomas Barak, who met Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on Monday evening, has divided Iraqi political opinion along familiar fault lines.
According to a government statement issued Tuesday, the two discussed bilateral relations and efforts to reduce regional tensions and conflicts. Barak described the meeting on X as “fruitful,” saying stability “is not inherited” and that Iraq’s security is tied to the region’s.
But former Minister Wael Abdul Latif warned of “alarming indicators,” stating that the visit coincides with intensive U.S. and Israeli aerial maneuvers in Iraqi airspace. He demanded the government clarify the nature of those reported movements.
For Iraqi officials and observers, the warning carries particular weight given the precedent: the 2024 disclosure of a covert Israeli military installation in the western Iraqi desert, established to support aerial attacks against Iran and equipped with special forces and search-and-rescue teams for downed Israeli pilots. 
That base was only uncovered after a local shepherd reported unusual helicopter activity, prompting Iraqi troops to investigate—and triggering a direct Israeli airstrike on the Iraqi military convoy that killed one soldier and wounded two others. 
The episode remains a stark reminder that foreign military presence in Iraq has never been fully accounted for, and that Iraqi sovereignty claims have repeatedly collided with uninvited operations on Iraqi soil. 
Abdul Latif’s demand for clarity, therefore, is not merely rhetorical—it echoes a documented history that Baghdad has yet to fully confront.
The political friction unfolded against a backdrop of official assertions of restored sovereignty. 
Brigadier General Sabah al-Numan, spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, said Iraq had regained full security sovereignty and now relies on its own capabilities for all military operations, including airstrikes.
Al-Numan also announced government plans to resolve the file of uncontrolled weapons, describing the decision to end the occupation as based on professional assessments rather than political considerations.
The foreign pressure on Iraq to dismantle anti-terror groups has raised concerns about takfiri activity. Parliament member Abdul Amir Al-Mayahi said information indicates Daesh cells have begun activating, citing recent movements in the Toun Kubri area.
Separately, Iraqi resistance forces reported four U.S. aircraft violating Iraqi airspace on Sunday from bases in Jordan and occupied territories, despite Baghdad’s declaration ending the occupation.
Despite claims of an end to the occupation, the United States maintains its malicious meddling in Iraq, especially through control over its oil money, and by using the release of Iraq’s own funds to force Baghdad to act according to Washington’s will. 
Zaidi himself is the product of this pressure tool, after the U.S. forced Iraq to ditch the premiership of Nuri al-Maliki.