Why Iraq’s PM should heed Al-Sistani and disband Iranian militias
Dinar Daily :: DINAR/IRAQ -- NEWS -- GURUS and DISCUSSIONS :: IRAQ and DINAR -- ARTICLE BASED INFORMATION and DISCUSSIONS
Page 1 of 1
Why Iraq’s PM should heed Al-Sistani and disband Iranian militias
Why Iraq’s PM should heed Al-Sistani and disband Iranian militias

A banner bearing the image of Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani in Tahrir Square, Baghdad, Iraq, Feb. 1, 2020. (AP Photo)
Iraq’s top cleric, Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, last month called for the disbanding of all militias. This would involve the state disarming the pro-Iran Popular Mobilization Units (PMU). In turn, this would neuter Tehran’s most reliable partner in Iraq, Kataib Hezbollah, the most dangerous alternative to state power in the country. Such then is the importance of Al-Sistani’s call for the integrity of the Iraqi state. Indeed, the prime minister, now provided cover by the religious leadership in Najaf, should act with haste. Yet all we have witnessed so far is an exhibition of inertia.
Kataib Hezbollah has been busy building a “statelet” within Iraq. If the government does not act quickly, it will soon become stronger than the Iraqi state itself; it will dominate Iraq in the way Hezbollah dominates in Lebanon and will seal Iraq’s slide into failure as a client state of Iran.
For those unfamiliar with Iraq’s recent history of distressing politics, a little elucidation might be helpful.
Modeled after Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Kataib Hezbollah is the spine that holds the PMU up. It controls the PMU’s “internal security” unit, the intelligence operation that keeps tabs on fighters and disciplines rogue ones. Kataib Hezbollah’s chief, Abdul Aziz Al-Muhammadawi, is also the effective leader of the PMU instead of its titular chairman, Falih Al-Fayyadh.
It is not hyperbole to describe Kakaib Hezbollah as a statelet. It controls territory within Iraq’s borders since it managed to force Baghdad to lease it vast amounts of agricultural land in Jurf Al-Sakhr, south of Baghdad, and on the Iraqi border with Syria. It operates these territories as fiefs into which it prohibits access by the legitimate state. At its bases, Kataib Hezbollah trains and garrisons its fighters and stocks caches of arms. Western intelligence reports suggest that, with Iranian assistance, it manufactures precision guided missiles at these sites.
Like Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Kataib Hezbollah’s fighting wing is only one component of the mini-state. It maintains welfare organizations for the families of its fighters, including those who die in battle. These organizations offer medical care, schooling, housing, social and financial support and religious indoctrination.
Al-Kadhimi should remove the cancer of Iran’s militias that is eating away at the sovereignty of his government.Hussain Abdul-Hussain
Now with the religious leadership in Najaf speaking out against the pro-Iranian militias, and anti-Iran sentiment growing in the country, the legitimate state has an opportunity to reassert its sovereignty. The prime minister, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, can count on international assistance in defeating Kataib Hezbollah which Washington has placed on its list of foreign terrorist organizations. Any US administration, whether Republican or Democratic, would be more than willing to help Baghdad put down Iran’s proxies.
So far Al-Kadhimi has made no move. It is a puzzle; no one knows why. Maybe there are some as yet unrevealed political calculations. Or perhaps he simply fears for his life. Whatever the reason, Al-Kadhimi surely must realize that time is of the essence. Either he takes the opportunity to neuter Kataib Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies or he gets out of the way and lets someone else do it.
Indeed, he should appreciate that doing nothing only diminishes his own power, as Kataib Hezbollah and the other Iranian proxies it leads carry on constructing an alternative state power to Baghdad. To add insult to injury, Tehran has even managed to force successive Iraqi governments to fund the PMU’s payroll, in effect getting Baghdad to subsidize the expansion of Tehran’s influence and the diminution of Baghdad’s authority. And if Hezbollah in Lebanon is any example, once Kataib Hezbollah is firmly and indubitably entrenched as a shadow state, it will be near impossible to dismantle.
With Iran cash-poor because of renewed US sanctions and weakened by domestic crisis, Al-Kadhimi has his opportunity: He should take advantage of it and remove the cancer of Iran’s militias that is eating away at the sovereignty of his government. Should he not, an eventually resurgent Iran will come after him and any other leader of the legitimately constituted state. If recent history is any guide, the most disposable figure in the Iraqi state is the prime minister.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1749916
GirlBye- VIP Member
- Posts : 1481
Join date : 2018-07-09
Location : So Cal
Dinar Daily :: DINAR/IRAQ -- NEWS -- GURUS and DISCUSSIONS :: IRAQ and DINAR -- ARTICLE BASED INFORMATION and DISCUSSIONS
Page 1 of 1
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
» The exchange rate of the dollar against the Iraqi dinar in the local markets today
» Judy Update claiming -- Wed. 27 Jan. was the date of the Global Currency Reset, at which time the general public Tier 5 would be able to exchanging foreign currencies at their new international rates.
» NICK FLEMING UPDATE, filled with dragons and lies
» COFFEE WITH MARKZ - Video and Transcript -- Jan-25 2021
» MarkZ claims -- I am not hearing any change on rates…could those high rates be reflective of the weakening of the US dollar? Yes- that is a possibility.
» Pimpy says it could be 3 more years before the IQD RV
» MilitiaMan says -- they are ceasing the Multi Currency Practices... 0 cash sales. A key indicator change is coming.
» Al-Halbousi and the Emir of Kuwait discuss activating the joint governmental and parliamentary committees between the two countries
» The International Development Bank announces its joining the "Bani" platform
» Source: The IMF knows very well that the Minister of Finance has lost the confidence of the people and will not loan it again
» Kuwait and Iraq hold talks on regional and international developments
» New statement by the Minister of Planning on the exchange rate and the agreement with China and the Port of Fao
» Footforward says -- Trump and Kushner have fixed things so that the RV can happen...
» Jeff says -- they are going to increase the value of their currency at the beginning of a new budget period.
» RayRen98 says == US banks and call centers are "on location" this morning being told to look for "activity" between this afternoon and Sunday evening..
» Bruce says -- Iraq is going to be the strongest currency and the strongest financial nation in the middle east and not too long from now...
» FLEMING UPDATE, 23 JAN
» THE BIG CALL HIGHLIGHTS, 23 JAN
» TNT WEEKEND UPDATE 1-23-21 SATURDAY
» Bruce and Jeff -- January through March was the season for the rate change.
» Currency 365 -- "Breitling and Bob" Dinar - Tax Update
» KTFA CHAT, 24 JAN
» Judy Note: There has been no new Intel on the GCR release since last Fri.
» KTFA: MILITIAMAN UPDATE , 24 JAN
» Explanation of the Zim VIDEO
» TNT stating that - It was reported that some banks had several cars in the parking lot this morning as early as 7:00 AM.
» Iraq needs to restructure its economy according to the global context
» A clear pledge by the parliament regarding deductions and salaries of employees in the budget before it is approved soon
» A leader with victory comments on Al-Abadi's concerns about the Biden period: 5 solutions for Iraq - urgent
» For the first time, Syria is offering a banknote of the 5000 denomination for circulation
» Al-Araji discusses with the US ambassador continuing cooperation in combating terrorism
» After Biden’s inauguration, the Iraqi Front marks a "major challenge" facing the Al-Kazemi government
» A high-ranking delegation from the Kurdistan Regional Government arrives in Baghdad
» Al-Halbousi arrives in Kuwait on an official visit
» The Finance Committee hosts the Secretary General of the Council of Ministers to discuss the draft budget bill
» Mazhar Saleh explains through the obelisk the opportunities available for printing the Iraqi currency and its consequences for the standard of living
» The Central Bank announces the establishment of a course on combating money laundering and terrorist financing for a period of 1/28/21/2021
» Bloomberg: Iraq is in talks with the International Monetary Fund to obtain a $ 6 billion loan
» Al-Abadi: We handed over to Abdul Mahdi a surplus of $ 14 billion