As the difficult negotiations between the two Shia blocs to form a new government continue, a war of position is taking place in Iraq between the two sides. A wave of attacks hit the seats of the Kurdish and Sunni parties which in the first sessions of the new parliament sided with the Moqtada al Sadr movement, which had the most votes in the October elections. Drone bombs have also targeted the homes of some Iraqi political leaders and posts representing US interests.
The provisional government led by Mustafa al Kadhimi has approved a series of new security measures for Baghdad, including the restriction of the movement of motorcycles and the increase of roadblocks, and has opened an investigation into the recent attacks in the capital. Carrying out the investigations, security sources concluded that behind this wave of terror there is not the Islamic State group, but the pro-Iranian parties and militias that have lost in the last elections. It is a form of pressure on the victors to be included in the next government.
Ismail Qaani, commander of the Quds Force, which belongs to the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, arrived in Iraq on the evening of January 23 and went to the governorate of Najaf (180 kilometers south of the capital, Baghdad), where he met twice Moqtada al Sadr in his home, and with the aim of unifying the two blocks of the Shiite community. But so far Al Sadr has remained steadfast in his intention to form a government of the victors.
Al Sadr appealed to the government to “take the strictest security measures possible, and accelerate the identification of the culprits, so that the democratic process does not become a puppet in anyone’s hands.” At the same time he issued a heavy warning: “We don’t say this out of weakness or fear, because everyone knows who we are. But we want reforms, and we want to eliminate the specters of corruption, terrorism and occupation through political means ”. The tension is now at its peak, and there are two possible scenarios: a war between the various confessions, or an unstable peace.
(Translation by Francesco De Lellis)