Iran-backed groups destabilize security, don’t represent Iraqis: US spox

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The US State Department on Monday underscored concerns about the security situation in Iraq - specifically with Iran-backed militias - as the conflict between Israel and Iran-backed groups threatens the wider region.

[W]e continue to be concerned about the presence of Iran-backed militias inside Iraq. They continue to destabilize Iraq's security situation,” spokesperson Matthew Miller told Rudaw at a press briefing.

Kadhim al-Fartusi, spokesperson for the Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS), said on Sunday that Israel may launch “limited” attacks on Iraq. The militia was formed in 2013 and is part of the government-linked but Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq does not speak on behalf of nor coordinate with the Iraqi government, but Fartusi said it “represents the people and is the voice and will of the people.” 

In November 2023, the United States added the KSS and its leader to its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT) for working with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The State Department spokesperson expressed that Washington does not believe Iranian-backed groups in Iraq represent the country’s people. “They continue to risk Iraq being dragged into a conflict the Iraqi people want nothing to do with,” Miller said.

“That's why we designated these organizations as terrorist organizations, just as we have other Iranian-sponsored militia groups such as Hezbollah, such as Hamas,” he added.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a network of shadow Iraqi militia groups backed by Iran, has launched hundreds of rocket and drone strikes against US military targets in Iraq in retaliation for Washington’s support for Israel in its war against Gaza. 

“[W]e have said before that Iraq deserves the chance to move beyond decades of conflict, and it's why the presence of these Iranian-backed groups inside Iraq is so troubling because they ultimately destabilize and they destabilize the region,” Miller said.

He stressed the “importance of preventing attacks from within Iraq's borders” and “the importance of holding people accountable.”

An Israeli airstrike in southern Beirut late last month killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, marking a significant escalation and greatly inflaming tensions between Israel and neighboring Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq - countries where Iran’s “axis of resistance” has considerable sway. 

On Sunday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani called on world leaders to intensify their efforts to spare the Middle East from a wider conflict.

“Our government has worked hard to shield Iraq from the effects of this escalation, and we have succeeded in doing so with your cooperation and the collaboration of all our friends worldwide,” Sudani said in a statement, encouraging US President Joe Biden, the European Union “and all our friends” to fulfill their obligations.

On Tuesday, Iran launched around 180 ballistic missiles toward Israel. The IRGC said the attack was in response to the killing of Nasrallah, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, and IRGC commander Abbas Nilforoushan. 

Diyar Kurda contributed to this report.