ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi on Tuesday evening ordered armed groups to cease rocket and mortar attacks on military installations where US troops are stationed. Just hours later, a rocket struck an oil installation run by US oil giant ExxonMobil in Basra. In the early hours of Wednesday, a rocket landed near ExxonMobil’s operations headquarters in the southern Iraqi province, injuring three Iraqi workers. Meanwhile, on Tuesday night, a Katyusha rocket landed just outside the Nineveh Operations Command compound, where US advisers are stationed. The perpetrators are thought to be pro-Iran Shiite militias. Speaking to reporters during his weekly press conference, Abdul Mahdi, the commander-in-chief of Iraq’s armed forces, ordered armed groups to halt the attacks. “In this period, violations occurred that didn’t lead to serious human or material damage. However, we can’t let mortars or Katyushas being fired here and there to continue,” he said. Just hours before his press conference, the PM issued a set directives to address several “uncontrolled phenomenon, presences, and behaviors” that have emerged in Iraq following the defeat of the Islamic State group (ISIS). Among the directives, Abdul-Mahdi said no foreign force is permitted to move or operate on Iraqi soil without government approval. He also said no foreign government can conduct activities against another country or a foreign group without the approval of the Iraqi government. However, the directive aimed at local forces was the most pointed – that no Iraqi armed force is allowed to operate outside the control and supervision of the commander-in-chief. This prevents “any armed force working within the framework of Iraqi armed forces, under the command of the commander-in-chief of armed forces, from having movement, operations, depots, or manufacturing outside the knowledge, will, and control of Iraq’s armed forces and the supervision of the commander-in-chief,” the PM warned. The Iraqi government is fearful that ongoing US-Iran tensions could spill over into Iraq and upset its fragile recovery. Since pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018, the US has imposed a raft of sanctions on Iran. It has also deployed an aircraft carrier group, air-defense missiles, B-52 bombers, and hundreds more troops to the Middle East, causing tensions with Tehran to escalate further. Iran is suspected of attacking or sabotaging six ships in the strategic Strait of Hormuz in retaliation. Both Iran and the US wield significant influence in Iraq. Tensions between the two states are in danger of escalating into open conflict on Iraqi soil, where pro-Iran militias, now officially part of Iraqi defense apparatus, could target US personnel. According to the Washington Post, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has warned Tehran that even a single US military fatality at the hands of Iran or one of its proxies would trigger a military response. Despite his best efforts, Abdul-Mahdi has been unable to contain these local forces. On Monday, a Katyusha missile fell on Camp Taji, where US forces are based. The Friday before, Balad Air Base, which hosts Iraq’s US-made F-16 fighter jets, was also attacked. Almost a month before, a Katyusha missile struck the Baghdad Green Zone where the US Embassy is based. “Stern” instructions have been issued to Iraq’s military chiefs to identify and prosecute the perpetrators, the PM told reporters. “Such things cause confusion in the political atmosphere and present an untrue, bad picture of the security situation,” he said. The military is on high alert, he added. A spokesman for the Iraqi Ministry of Defense said Wednesday the Army will take military and legal action. “In implementing the decision of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces @AdilAbdAlMahdi, we intensify our intelligence efforts by gathering information & identifying those behind the rocket & mortar fire at a number of military & civilian sites in Baghdad + provinces, so that the security forces may take strong measures against them militarily and legally,” Yehia Rasool, Iraqi MoD spokesperson, said in a tweet on Wednesday. The Iraqi Army will “strike with an iron fist” against those who “tamper” with Iraq’s security, “spread fear, or carry out an agenda that conflicts with Iraqi national interests”, Rasool added.
