Alwaght- As the Iraqi public and political groups’ calls for expulsion of the foreign forces, in particular Americans, from their country continue now for several months, former Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in important remarks on some behind-the-scenes developments in Iraq in recent years has made unprecedented revelations.
In a part of his disclosure, al-Abadi, who bears the honor of the victory over the ISIS terrorist group under his leadership, said that when the terrorist group attacked the Arab country, the US did not support it “even with one dollar.” “The US does not help Iraq if it does not receive something in return,” he said.
He in another part of his remarks pointed to the role played by the General Qassem Soleimani of Iran’s Quds Force and in fact by Iran in confrontation of ISIS. He said: “Entry to Iraq of Martyr Soleimani was with my knowledge and I informed the Americans of this because I believed in his help.”
Al-Abadi also addressed the Persian Gulf Arab states and some of Iraq's sides in his comments, accusing them of forming pressure groups in the US with the intention to extend damage to Iraq. He added that they spent huge money on their anti-Iraqi pressure campaign in the US.
Revealing the US plot in Iraq
Without a doubt, the most important part of the former Iraqi PM’s comments is his words about the US role in Iraq. The ground realities prove that even when the ISIS moved as close as 10 kilometers to the Iraqi capital Baghdad, the US stayed idle and took no measures to protect the capital despite its security pact with Iraq. Now it is almost clear to all that if the Kurdish autonomous region in northern Iraq was not attacked by the terrorists and Zionist lobbies did not pressure the White House to act in service of their interests in Erbil, the American administration would have not stepped in the conflict. That is because ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and his terrorist organization were created and nurtured by Washington and took actions in accordance with the US’s “sinister” designs in the West Asia region.
Now in his new remarks, al-Abadi discloses new aspects of the US treachery which address American lies about Washington’s financial cooperation with the Iraqi government during the anti-ISIS combat.
Over the past few years, American officials claimed that as allies to the Iraqi military and security forces they backed Baghdad financially and militarily. But now the former PM insists that even a single dollar was not given as an aid to Baghdad from Washington when the Arab country was struggling against the foreign-backed terrorists. This tells us that the Americans asked for returns for any help they provided to Iraq even when the latter was under heavy pressure.
The comments on the US behavior in the current conditions are also of significance. Now the Iraqi security forces are involved in a full-scale war against the ISIS remnants in vast parts of the western and northwestern deserts of Iraq next to the Syrian borders. There are reports talking about the massive transfer of the terrorist militias to Iraq from Syria and the fingers of the blame here again are pointed at the Americans as they seek ways to delay their forces’ expulsion from Iraq. Iraq’s parliament earlier this year approved foreign forces expulsion bill following Trump-instructed assassination of Iran’s General Soleimani and Iraq’s Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, both of whom played a major role in obliteration of ISIS in Iraq in 2017 by leading popular forces. Certainly, al-Abadi’s remarks will be crucial to revealing the secret US hands behind the scenario for re-emergence of the ISIS in Iraq.
What al-Abadi tells the new Iraqi politicians is that they should never trust the US policies and promises. The US behavior after 2003 demonstrates that Iraqi sovereignty, independence, and interests bear no importance to Washington as in various periods the country designed conspiracies in Iraq to pursue its policies in the Arab country. It appears that al-Abadi’s discourses will more than before prompt the demands by the Iraqi public for the Americans to leave their country.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE: Foes in friends’ masks
The recent remarks of al-Abadi show that they carry lessons for the new Iraqi PM and his cabinet ministers: They should decide the right strategy in their relations with such countries as Saudi Arabia and the UAE. When al-Abadi held the post as a PM, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi several times called him and promised investments in Iraq. But now his comments reveal that the two monarchies were involved in plots against the Iraqi national security and sovereignty.
Very likely, al-Abadi in his comments sought revelations on the two countries’ role in support for terrorist groups, on top of them ISIS, in Iraq and the Barzani-organized secession referendum of the Kurdish region in September 2017. The fact is that even while the ISIS was seizing territories and the Kurdish regional leaders were arranging the plebiscite, documents were proving that Saudi Arabia and the UAE were targeting the Iraqi territorial unity by backing split agendas.
When the new Iraq PM Mostafa al-Kadhimi managed to form his government last week, the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman as the de facto ruler of the Arab kingdom congratulated him. The remarks by al-Abadi on the Saudi role behind the agenda compromising the Iraq unity enlighten the new PM and his government’s way, telling them why they need to be more sensitive in watching the Saudi and Emirati steps and policies regarding Iraq. Al-Abadi makes it clear that in determining its policies and relations with the regional states, the new government should sensitively consider Iraq’s national interests.
Lessons of al-Abadi’s convergence with the US
When Iraq held its parliamentary election in 2018, many political analysts believed that al-Abadi will maintain the post of PM in Baghdad’s Green Zone. He championed the war against ISIS and also sealed the end of the story of the split of the Kurdistan region from Iraq. At that time, he adopted stances relatively intimate and convergent with the US strategy.
At that time, he appeared to be seeking to retake the premiership again by garnering the US support, though he now says this was simply an accusation by his political opponents and was never real. However, the reality is that he several times took stances convergent with the US and made comments antipathetic to the Axis of Resistance that covers Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and the regional groups allied to these countries.
Al-Abadi’s remarks should be seen as providing lessons for the Iraqi political groups and the newly-formed government so that they make no strategic mistakes in their interaction with the US and its regional allies. The reality is that the US takes no specific parties or figures as friends in Iraq. What represents its policy is the instrumental use of figures and groups towards its demands. Al-Abadi remarks suggest that all of the Iraqi political parties should accept the reality that repeating the story of Al-Abadi’s convergence with the US brings no end better than the end of his premiership.
