US Secretary of State in Riyadh wants 'Iran out of Iraq'

During a trilateral meeting in Riyadh on Sunday, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson demanded Iranian militias “leave Iraq.”

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – During a trilateral meeting in Riyadh on Sunday, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson demanded Iranian militias “leave Iraq.”

The American envoy met with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Saudi King Salman in the Kingdom’s capital to discuss the fight against the Islamic State (IS) and stability in the region.

It was widely reported that the top American diplomat’s goal was to seal a new alliance between Saudi Arabia and Iraq that would curtail Iranian influence in the Middle East.

The US has repeatedly expressed its concern Iran would take advantage of gains made against IS to expand its authority all the way to Damascus in Syria.

Most recently, Iranian influence in Iraq in the form of Shia militias targeting Kurdish disputed territories has been strongly condemned by many politicians in Washington, DC, and officials in Kurdistan.  

On Oct. 16, days after US President Donald Trump’s speech on curtailing Iran’s destabilizing role in the Middle East, Iranian-backed Shia Hashd al-Shaabi forces, under the auspices of Iranian commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds force Qassem Soleimani, took control of Kirkuk and other disputed territories.

Since then, the Hashd al-Shaabi, also known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), along with Iraqi forces continued to advance toward Pirde, with clashes erupting on Friday in the multi-ethnic town some 40 kilometers south of the Kurdish capital of Erbil. The US-led anti-IS coalition has a significant military base in Erbil.

This past week, Kurdish officials heavily criticized the fact the Iranian-backed militia is now using US-provided advanced weaponry and equipment, including Humvees and Abrams tanks – supplied to the Iraqi forces with the aim to defeat IS – against Kurds.

“We expected real support from the US for their loyal ally. Weapons used, with the support of the Peshmerga forces, to defeat IS should not be directed toward the people of the Kurdistan Region,” the Governor of Erbil, Nawzad Hadi, said on Saturday.

The US and the international community has called for all parties to cease violence and provocative movements.

However, the presence of Shia militias near and within disputed territories has caused tens of thousands of Kurds to flee their homes in fear of abuse and repercussion for taking part in the Sep. 25 independence referendum.

“It has certainly concerned the people of the Kurdistan Region. We are expecting a stronger response from the US, as an ally, and the coalition,” Hadi lamented.

 

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany