By Anas al-Bar | 2024-04-06

For weeks, Iraq has been witnessing a new wave of politically motivated violent incidents and assassinations, observers told Al-Fassel.

These incidents lay bare the ongoing conflict between armed groups and show that Iran-allied groups, led by Kataib Hizbullah, seek to undermine public security and spark panic among Iraqis, they said.

In February and March, four members of armed groups were assassinated.

On February 4, unknown gunmen assassinated an Asaib Ahl al-Haq leader, Naji al-Kaabi, in Maysan province's al-Askari district (eastern Iraq).

On February 18, two relatives of Badr Organization leader Hadi al-Ameri were assassinated by gunmen in the al-Rashidiya area, north of Baghdad.

A day later, unknown individuals kidnapped Aysar al-Khafaji, a prominent member of Sadrist movement affiliate Saraya al-Salam, in front of his house in the city of Hilla. His body was later found dumped on the side of a road.

The slayings and attempted killings have even targeted public and scientific figures and social media activists.

Dr. Khaled Zuhair, a consultant pediatrician at the Medical City in Baghdad, was assassinated on February 7, and the well-known poet Falah al-Badri was killed in the city of Nasiriyah on March 31.

Assassination attempts also targeted Iraqi politician and journalist Fakhri Karim, head of Al Mada Foundation for Media, Culture and Arts; Muqaddam al-Majid, a lecturer at the Faculty of Media at Dhi Qar University; and Iraqi TikToker Hussein Ali and his wife, Shahinda.

The conflict between the militias is not new or recent, but what is notable is that it is becoming more violent and vicious.

Qaani fails to heal rifts

In the four years since he assumed command of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force (IRGC-QF) after the killing of Qassem Soleimani, Esmail Qaani has failed to heal the rifts between the armed groups in Iraq.

Despite his repeated attempts to hide and tamp down the rivalry between them and portray them as having a unified position, the tensions and divisions expose the fragility of this tense relationship, observers say.

The rifts between the militias are driven "primarily by a struggle over positions, leadership and corrupt deals," political analyst Tariq al-Shammari told Al-Fassel.

"The survival of any militia is tied to its ability to retain the largest amount of spoils and employ them to serve its agenda and strengthen its influence over its rivals," he said.

These rifts are evident in how the militias are dealing with the current regional conflict and the issue of the continued presence of coalition forces in Iraq.

"While some groups call for calm and not putting their political gains at risk, others insist on continuing to engage in hostilities," al-Shammari said.

Many, including al-Shammari, fear that the inflamed tensions between the militias will contribute to the deterioration of the security situation.

Meanwhile, "the Iranian regime fuels the chaos and violence led by groups loyal to it to show its influence in shuffling the cards and destabilizing Iraq and the countries of the region," he said.

'A guarantee of stability'

The Iranian regime coordinates with its proxies and provides them with weapons, training, military resources and intelligence support "to ensure that they continue to implement its strategy of regional expansion," he said.

The presence of US-led coalition forces "is necessary to protect and support Iraq, not only in confronting... the 'Islamic State of Iraq and Syria' (ISIS)," but also "to enhance its own capabilities in protecting its sovereignty and preventing Iranian interference in its affairs," he added.

"The security of Iraq and the region is threatened by an Iranian project that aims to build a new Middle East in which Iranian hegemony prevails," Ghazi Faisal Hussein, director of the Iraqi Center for Strategic Studies, told Al-Fassel.

The presence of US and international forces is "a factor of strength and a guarantee of stability amid regional unrest, tensions and threats issued by the militias," he said.