Alwaght- After being designated as Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed, Shia al-Sudani as promised ti put high o his agenda addressing the cold cases, with one of these cases with great importance for Iraqi nation being the assassination of resistance commanders, Iran’s General Qassem Soleimani and Iraq’s Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, at Baghdad International Airport in January 2020 with a direct order from Donald Trump.
After dismissal of PM Mustafa al-Kadhimi, under whose government serious measures were not taken to conclude the investigation on the perpetrators and orderers of this crime, the political parties now look determined to find the perpetrators and conclude the case after three years.
In this regard, Fadhel Mowat al-Zarijawi, of the Iraqi State of Law coalition, claimed that in the upcoming stage, an arrest warrant would be issued for Al-Kadhimi on charges of involvement in the assassination of General Soleimani and al-Muhandis. The ex-PM is now in Baghdad and resides in Green Zone, a heavily guarded diplomatic area, and is under the protection of the US embassy. A lawmaker from Sadeqoun parliamentary bloc in the Iraqi parliament emphasized that al-Kadhimi did not answer all the questions on the assassination and he appears to have colluded with the Americans. This Member of Parliament added that during the administration of al-Kadhimi, there were cover-ups concerning the case, and some evidence shows that officers in his government procrastinated a probe and covered up details of the case.
Recently, 76 Iraqi MPs in a letter to the Karkh region’s court filed a lawsuit against main culprits in the assassination, and al-Kadhimi’s name was on the list. In this lawsuit, it is stated that after Donald Trump and Mike Pompeo, the ex-President and Secretary of State of the US, al-Kadhimi was the third defendant of order of the assassination. Referring to the spread of terror among the citizens and use banned weapons in the crime, the lawsuit asked full-scale measures against the defendants.
Accusing al-Kadhimi of involvement in the assassination of the top resistance commanders is significant because he was the head of Iraqi intelligence at time of the drone strikes, and from the very beginning, the resistance forces pointed the finger of blame at him for assisting the Americans. They believe that the intelligence was provided to the Americans from within the Iraqi government, and therefore the PM played a key role in this crime. Although he denied any involvement, al-Kadhimi has always been on the list of top defendants and Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) commanders have always looked at him with suspicion.
Al-Kadhimi’s involvement in the assassination was first raised by a Jewish Iraqi who worked as a security employee of the Israeli regime, but the Iraqis could not rely on the statements of this person who make his comments under a pseudonym.
Resistance forces argue that as the head of the intelligence agency at the time, al-Kadhimi was aware of the planning and even supplied information to the Americans about the trips of the two commanders. In the day of assassination, American drones flew over Iraq for several hours—indicating that Pentagon had precise information about the visit of the two commanders to Baghdad. This promotes the theory that the Iraqi intelligence officers provided information to the Americans.
Al-Kadhimi’s procrastination of investigation
Many Iraqi leaders have repeatedly stated that al-Kadhimi was US choice for the PM post and he took office with the support of the White House. He was picked PM just three months after the assassination of the anti-terrorism commanders, and over the past three years, he was in coordination with the US policies in Iraq, and despite the Iraqi parliament's law to expel the American troops, his government made agreements with the Americans and practically extended their military presence for the next years.
Although the Iraqis demanded a comprehensive investigation into the assassination and asked Al-Kadhimi’s government for a probe as soon as possible, under the pretext that this incident happened before his term, he always procrastinated the case. Although he assured Iran that he would punish the main culprits, in practice he did not take any action to end of his term.
Iran has several times announced his readiness to investigate the case and even in December last year, an Iranian delegation of judiciary officials led by Tehran chief prosecutor visited Baghdad and held meetings with Iraqi judiciary officials, and in a statement called for prosecution of those behind the assassination. The Iraqi government did not proceed with the investigation, however.
The fact that al-Kadhimi is now residing under the American embassy’s security shield shows that he is worried about disclosure of the reality. After all, the Iraqi public and politicians demand the perpetrators and would show no leniency towards the culprits.
Expectations from al-Sudani’s government
Perhaps one of the reasons al-Kadhimi became PM a few months after the assassination was that he sought to head the government and close the case. He thought he could sway the path of investigation and block details from emerging to public. But now al-Sudani, who is close to resistance camp, is heading the government. He promised that he would do his best concerning the case. After al-Sudani took office, Fatah coalition stated that the new government would take legal action in relation to the US crime and would bring to justice Trump and others involved in the case. The Iraqi political factions expect al-Sudani to conclude the case and on the third anniversary disclose the reality.
Although some Iraqi political parties try to bury the case, every year the Iraqis and the resistance forces hold the commemoration ceremony for their martyrs as magnificently as possible to show that this wound remains open and they are still seeking revenge. In recent days, on the eve of the third anniversary, the Iraqis held a commemoration ceremony. They expelled American embassy employees who sought to participate in the cultural ceremony, showing that they have no considerations when it comes to this case.
Since al-Sudani is clear of any charges in this case, he is expected to launch the investigation as soon as possible. The new Iraqi government is also set to implement the neglected law of American military expulsion. This time, the Iraqis seem so resolved about expelling foreign occupation forces from their soil.
Whereas al-Kadhimi’s administration sought to distract the attention of the public by cover-ups in the investigation, resistance groups have never walked back from their demands and are pushing for conclusion of the case at their full tilt. With al-Sudani government in power now, optimism about a precise probe into the case is restored.
