Expanding Middle East crisis: Militia accused of attacking US forces says it will halt military activities
In a surprise move, an Iran-linked militia in Iraq, which the Pentagon says is likely responsible for a deadly drone attack on a US base in Jordan over the weekend, announced on Tuesday that it would suspend military operations in Iraq under pressure from Iraqi forces. government would suspend. and from Iran.
The announcement came shortly after President Biden said he had decided how to respond to Sunday's attack in Jordan that killed three U.S. soldiers, though he did not say what that response would be. His comment sparked fears in Iraq of a possible US retaliatory attack on its territory.
The militia, Kata'ib Hezbollah, or Brigades of the Party of God, is the largest and most established of the Iran-linked groups operating in Iraq. It has led the majority of the approximately 160 attacks on US military installations in Iraq and Syria that have taken place since Israel began its ground operations in Gaza, in response to the October 7 attack that Hamas led from the enclave.
The U.S. military has about 2,500 troops in Iraq advising and training the Iraqi military, and about 900 in Syria supporting the Kurdish Syrian forces in their fight against the Islamic State.
Kata'ib Hezbollah is part of what is known as the Axis of Resistance, a network of Iranian-backed groups operating in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and sometimes beyond. (Kata'ib Hezbollah is separate from the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.)
The other two Iraqi groups believed to have been involved in the attacks on US targets – Harakat al Nujaba and Sayyid Shuhada – have not announced they will halt the attacks.
Kata'ib Hezbollah leader Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi said in a statement: “We announce the suspension of military and security operations against the occupying forces – to avoid embarrassing the Iraqi government.” It was the first time the militia had publicly declared the suspension of operations.
The statement made clear that Iran had put pressure on the group to stop attacks on US forces and that Kata'ib Hezbollah was not happy about that. The group made a point of suggesting that it chooses its own goals and timing, rather than following Iran's orders.
“Our brothers in the Axis, especially in the Islamic Republic of Iran, do not know how we conduct our Jihad, and they often object to the pressure and escalation against the US occupation forces in Iraq and Syria,” the statement said.
Asked about Kata'ib Hezbollah's announcement, a Defense Department spokesperson, Major General Pat Ryder, said at a Pentagon briefing: “I have no specific comment to make other than actions speak louder than words.”
He added: “I will refrain from editorializing on these types of comments after more than 160 attacks on US troops.”
Interviews with Iraqi and Iranian officials close to both governments indicate that intensive negotiations have taken place in recent days to push Kata'ib Hezbollah to stop its attacks.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani began pushing for a halt several weeks ago, according to senior government advisers. He tried to start negotiations on a possible withdrawal of the US-led international military presence in Iraq, but the US side had been reluctant to negotiate while under fire, Iraqi and US officials said.
The United States ultimately agreed to start talks with no guarantee that the attacks would stop, but with a clear push in that direction.
Kata'ib Hezbollah and other groups had ignored the Iraqi government's request to step down, but when Sunday's attack in Jordan cost American lives, Mr. Sudani demanded a complete shutdown of Kata'ib Hezbollah. Mr. Sudani has contacted Iran directly, according to a military strategist for the Revolutionary Guards, which works closely with the Axis groups in Iraq.
Mr. Sudani made the argument that he was trying to negotiate what Iran wanted most — an end to the presence of American troops in Iraq — and that Kata'ib Hezbollah's attacks were undermining his government's ability to do so, the report said. Iranian military strategist and a senior Iraqi official, who spoke anonymously to discuss private negotiations.
An Iraqi government spokesman, Hisham al-Rikabi, painted much the same picture. “The decision of Kata'ib Hezbollah came as a result of the action taken internally and externally by the Prime Minister to prevent escalation and to ensure the smooth conclusion of negotiations on completing the process of withdrawal of the international coalition from Iraq guarantee,” he said.
Mr al-Rikabi added: “We hope that all parties will listen to the government's call to reduce tension and ensure that there are no hotspots of tension in the region, and in Iraq in particular. ”
The negotiations involved senior officials in Mr. Sudani's government who are close to Iran, according to Iraqi and Iranian officials close to their respective government leaders. Among those involved in the negotiations were former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and the leaders of two armed groups that have not targeted US forces: Qais al-Khazali and Hadi al-Ameri. The talks on the Iranian side included General Esmail Qaani, the leader of the Quds Force, a division of the Revolutionary Guard that works with Axis groups outside Iran.
Reporting was contributed by Falih Hassan from Baghdad, Farnaz Fassihi from New York and Erik Schmitt from Washington.