Surprise visit to Iraq
Blinken warns pro-Iranian militias
November 6, 2023, 4:31 a.m
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Attacks on US troops stationed in Iraq and Syria have increased in recent weeks. Washington blames pro-Iranian forces for this. The US Secretary of State addressed his words to them during an unannounced visit to the region.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a surprise trip to Iraq after visiting several Middle Eastern countries. He met there on Sunday with Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani, the Iraqi state news agency INA reported. In Baghdad, Blinken was seen at the airport in the evening wearing a protective vest. The visit amid the Gaza war also comes against the backdrop of increasing attacks by pro-Iranian militias on US troops in Iraq.
“Whoever wants to take advantage of the conflict in Gaza to threaten our employees here or elsewhere in the region – let it go,” Blinken said on the TV channel “Sky News” in a warning to the pro-Iranian militias. Their attacks and threats are “absolutely unacceptable.” The US did not seek conflict with Iran, but would “take every step necessary to protect our people.” Blinken described the meeting with Al-Sudani as “productive, open and important.”
In Baghdad, supporters of the Iraqi Shiite cleric al-Sadr protest against Blinken’s visit and in support of the Palestinians.
(Photo: dpa)
The already unstable security situation in Iraq has worsened since the start of the Gaza war between the Islamist Hamas and Israel. Abu Ali al-Askari, spokesman for the powerful militia Kataib Hezbollah, had previously verbally attacked Blinken and threatened him with “unprecedented escalation” if he visited.
Washington accuses Iranian and pro-Iranian militias of being responsible for the attacks. A group called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for some of the attacks through channels on the online service Telegram that are linked to Iran-aligned Shiite groups. In particular, the militias and political forces in Iraq allied with Tehran are demanding the complete withdrawal of the remaining US troops.
According to the Pentagon, around 17 attacks were recorded in Iraq and 12 in Syria between October 17 and November 3. The USA has around 900 soldiers stationed in Syria and around 2,500 in Iraq, who, together with allies, are fighting the jihadist organization Islamic State (IS) on site.
Sea corridor should enable humanitarian aid
Before his unannounced visit to Iraq, the US Secretary of State made a stopover in Cyprus. As part of his Middle East mediation efforts, Blinken discussed with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides the establishment of a humanitarian maritime corridor between the Mediterranean island and the Gaza Strip. The conversation between the two politicians at Larnaca airport was about a “one-sided maritime corridor,” said government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis. This should enable “continued humanitarian aid to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip from Cyprus”.
President Christodoulides had previously told journalists that Nicosia’s move was supported by France, the EU Commission and Israel. “On this basis we are talking to the United Nations,” Christodoulides said. So that the aid reaches the population, the UN will receive it “and not Hamas.” The details are currently being discussed. In his view, Cyprus is well suited as a starting point for humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip due to its good relations with surrounding Arab countries and its geographical proximity to the northwestern Gaza Strip.