The US Treasury Department announced sanctions on Tuesday against Iraq’s Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, a Shi’ite militia that Republican Senators have accused of being an “Iranian proxy.”
The group of about 10,000 fighters is aligned with the Iraqi government
and is part of the government’s “Popular Mobilization Force” umbrella
for militias that are under direct government command in fighting. They
fought against ISIS in Iraq and later in Syria.
Like most Shi’ite militias, the group does have some ideological
alignment with the Iranian government, The group was founded by Ali Ahl
al-Haq co-founder Sheikh Akram al-Kaabi, thogh Kaabi insists the two
groups are distinct. Kaabi was already under US sanctions.
It is unclear what the practical effects of these sanctions will be,
beyond further complicating US military ties to Iraq by making more and
more of the de facto Iraqi military forces sanctioned entities under US
law.
…. Shouldn’t anything Hezbollah already be under sanctions? Oh well. There’s still air and sunlight.
These are pointless moves by our increasingly nerdy political and bureaucratic establishment. All that will do is increase the already large spectrum of Iraqi politics to become overtly anti-American. What is the point of sanctioning segments of army that successfully liberated its territory from ISIS and put an end to Kurdish teritorial claims? US military in Iraq worked with Kurds trying to give them territory. But Kurds, appart from PKK US favored in Iraq did not go along. So now without terrotory to control and blackmail Iraq, must wirk on cozying up to some, while castigating others. Rather late closing barn doors after horses bolted. Turnaaround in Iraq fight against ISIS began after estsblishing Iraqi-Russian-Iranian inteligence center in Baghdad. Before, relying on US intelligence, Iraqi Army was ambushed and slaughtered by ISIS and their weapons taken. Iraqi army was declared incompetent. But after it acquired its own intelligence, Iraqi army and their militias were going from victory to victory. Even the two towns that US liberated with Kurds — but gave to PKK exclusively — fell to Iraqi army, as Peshmerga stayed out of it.
Green Zone — the symbol of American control – has been dismantled. Iraq cannot be now easily politically undefmined, and cannot be easily leaned on.
Old British recipe….arm some, starve others, mix and stir, bake. Rinse and repeat….