Enraged US Threatens to Close Iraq Embassy Over Militia Attacks

Iraqi leaders warn militias don't have right to start wars

Recent attacks on US convoys and rocket strikes near the Amerian embassy are causing a growing problem in Iraq, and the government is trying to warn Shi’ite militias against unilateral actions, admonishing them for not having the authority to declare war.

The problem is that the violence is riling up US officials, and leading the US to threaten to pull out of the Iraqi Embassy outright. The US goal is to convince Iraq to do something to tamp down the militias.

That’s easier said than done, however, as the Iraqi government has shown a consistent inability to limit the militias, and US actions have tended to make things even worse.

For the US,  just stopping the attacks probably won’t be enough, as they’ve long sought to eliminate the militias, arguing that they are Iranian proxies. The groups are legally part of the security forces, with complicated ties to the political groups.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.