Will Iraq’s Iran-Backed Militias Disarm?
Due to Iraq’s position in the region, the armed paramilitaries increasingly present a challenge for stability.
Al Anbar Governorate
Iraq’s Kataib Hezbollah militia denies report it will disarm
Kataib Hezbollah has denied a recent Reuters report that stated it was considering disarming, according to numerous reports quoting the group’s statement. Kataib Hezbollah is one of the Iranian-backed...
Op-eds
US strike in Iraq eliminates top Islamic State leader
A March 13 airstrike in Iraq’s Anbar province by US Central Command (CENTCOM) eliminated Abdallah Makki Muslih al Rifai, a senior leader of the Islamic State (IS) who may have served as the...
Op-eds
Iran-Backed Militias Face Crisis After Assad’s Fall in Syria
Four years ago, in January 2020, a US drone carried out a strike in Iraq near Baghdad International Airport, killing Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force leader Qasem...
Op-eds
Pro-Iran militias in Iraq may move away from Syria border
The point of the report is that the Iraqis want to show that the militias who played a role in Syria will now not just be in Iraq, but will be moved away from the border.
Op-eds
Why are the Houthis attacking Israel – and can they be deterred?
The Houthis may think they can get away with anything without paying a price. The question is, what price is enough to make them stop?
Op-eds
US military strikes Islamic State camps and personnel in central Syria
On December 16, the US military launched a second round of strikes against Islamic State personnel and infrastructure in Syria since the fall of the regime of Bashir al Assad on December 8. US operations...
Op-eds
Iran has ten ways to attack Israel; which one will it choose?
Iran's vowed punishment of Israel might manifest either through proxies or direct means, including ballistic missiles and drones.
Op-eds
Several U.S. Servicemen Injured After Ballistic Missile Attack in Iraq
A January 20 attack by Iran-backed Iraqi Shiite militias on an airbase housing U.S. and Iraqi troops injured at least two U.S. troops. The assault also seriously wounded one Iraqi...
Flash Briefs
Iraq heads to provincial elections, first in ten years
Today Iraq is trying to put some of its past behind it.
Op-eds
U.S. military launches second strike in Iraq in response to attacks by Iranian-backed militias
The U.S. military attacked Iranian-backed militias at two sites south of Baghdad on Wednesday after its base in western Iraq was targeted with “close-range ballistic missiles.” When announcing the...
Op-eds
The Iranian proxy war in Syria against the US, Israel grows
More than 40 attacks on US forces by Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria.
Op-eds
Iran-backed militias continue to attack U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria
Iran backed militias launched at least four attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria since the U.S. military attempted to reestablish deterrence by striking at Iranian weapons storage sites in Syria on...
Op-eds
Iran-backed attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria increase
Reports on Sunday said that rockets targeted Ain al-Asad base, at least the sixth attack since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
Op-eds
Iran-backed Shia militias target 2 U.S. bases in Iraq
Iran-backed Shia militias have targeted two U.S. bases in Iraq as the war between Israel and Hamas escalates. The attacks took place as Hezbollah Brigades, a dangerous Iranian proxy, threatened U.S. forces...
Op-eds
Islamic State confirms death of yet another leader, appoints new ‘caliph’
The Islamic State confirmed that its previous leader and self-styled “caliph”, Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Quraishi, was killed earlier this year In doing so, it also disputes claims he was killed...
Op-eds
Iran is pushing Iraq to the brink. Iraqis are fighting back.
Protestors in Iraq are fighting against government corruption and Iran’s malign influence, which is built on hard power, not public good will. Tehran has a lot to lose. “Iran and Iraq are two nations...
Op-eds
Islamic State wages desert-based insurgency in Iraq and Syria
The Islamic State is far from dead in Iraq and Syria. Despite losing its physical caliphate, the group maintained enough manpower and resources to continue waging an insurgency in both countries. And America’s...
Op-eds
Burning Bridge: The Iranian Land Corridor to the Mediterranean
Monographs
Iraqi Militant Qayis Khazali Warned Us About Iran. We Ignored Him.
Iran has its tentacles all over Iraq, and the United States has no one to blame but itself. It is a bipartisan failure dating back to the March 2003 invasion. Even after the Bush administration a...