Iraq Rejects US Request for Withdrawal of Iran-Supported Shia Militias

On Monday, November 1, the Baghdad government rejected the US Secretary of State's request for the withdrawal of Iranian-supported Shia militia units from Iraq to their home countries. Haider al-Abadi's office, the Prime Minister of Iraq, issued a statement rejecting this request, stating: "No foreign forces are present in Iraq, and no party has the right to interfere in Iraq's affairs." The statement did not mention the Prime Minister's name and quoted a "source" close to him. Rex Tillerson, the US Secretary of State, called for the withdrawal of "Iranian-supported Shia militias" to their home countries after a coordination committee meeting between Riyadh and Baghdad attended by Haider al-Abadi and King Salman of Saudi Arabia. He stated that "Iranian militias are present in Iraq," and now that the war against the Islamic State (ISIS) is nearing its end, the Iranian-supported militias known as "Hashd al-Shaabi" should return to their countries. Washington, which supports the Baghdad government in combating ISIS, is concerned that Iran is using these militia groups to expand its presence in Iraq and Syria, thereby increasing its influence in the Middle East. The Hashd al-Shaabi militias, trained and equipped by Iran, have played a significant role in the Iraqi army's operations against ISIS over the past year, with their latest involvement being the capture of Kirkuk province by the Iraqi central government forces last week. According to Reuters, these forces are paid by the Iraqi government and report to the Prime Minister, but Sunni Arabs and Kurdish politicians believe that Hashd al-Shaabi is an extension of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have accused Hashd al-Shaabi of committing war crimes. These forces include volunteers that the Iraqi government called upon after the weakening of the country's army against ISIS in 2014. Sunni neighbors of Iraq, including Saudi Arabia, express the same concerns as the US regarding Iran's influence in Iraq. However, the Iraqi Prime Minister's office stated in its Monday statement that the Hashd al-Shaabi forces are under the supervision of the Baghdad government and are "patriotic Iraqis." In recent years, the United States has trained tens of thousands of Iraqi soldiers to create Iraqi armed forces and has sent over five thousand of its own troops to the country. Washington has provided extensive air support for the Iraqi ground forces' operations against ISIS. The US Secretary of State's remarks were met with a response from his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, who tweeted on Sunday: "What country should the Iraqi people, who fought against ISIS to defend their homes, return to? America's shameful foreign policy is dictated by oil dollars." Zarif, who is in South Africa, also stated on Monday that those who resisted ISIS are "in their own homes and are not waiting for anyone's orders and will not do so. Because if they had been waiting for Tillerson's and the US government's orders, we would have ISIS in Baghdad and Erbil today." Iranian officials have accused the United States of making its foreign policy against Iran subordinate to the positions of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states since Donald Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia this summer and the signing of major military and commercial contracts with Riyadh. On October 14, Trump announced a new US strategy regarding Iran and refrained from certifying Iran's compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), announcing sanctions against the entire Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps due to its role in "disrupting security and stability in the Middle East."