Policy 2018/05/25 00:05 226 Editor: en
Baghdad Today
The US newspaper “America Today” on Thursday, in a report that highlights the support of Washington to the leader of the Sadrist movement Moqtada al-Sadr, which seeks to form a new Iraqi government, away from Iran, after winning the list in the first place in the legislative elections that took place on 12 May , While quoting Lims Jeffrey, a former US ambassador to Iraq, said that “Sadr is now engaged in sensitive political negotiations, and the result will determine the future of US influence in Iraq.”
“Moqtada al-Sadr, who emerged as a hard-line Shiite cleric whose followers once waged deadly revolts against US forces in Iraq, now stands out as America’s best hope of curbing Iran’s growing influence in Iraq,” the newspaper said in a report published today. .
“The victory of Moqtada al-Sadr’s party in the recent parliamentary elections is prompting US officials to reconsider the US policy in the country, which has helped more than 5,000 US military advisers defeat a militant organization,” she said.
The report quoted James Jeffrey, a former US ambassador to Iraq, as saying that “Sadr could be irrational but better than the Iranians.”
“The Shiite leader is now engaged in sensitive political negotiations with other factions, and the outcome of those talks, which may take months to determine the future of US influence in Iraq,” Jeffrey said.
“In second place in the Iraqi elections came the list which has close ties with Iran, while the political organization of the current US-backed prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, came third.”
The United States has said it wants to stay in Iraq if the government wants the advisers to continue training the country’s armed forces, but it’s not clear how the new government will look at the presence of US military advisers. ”
“We have a good relationship with the Iraqi government, and we believe we will continue to do so,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Noyart said.
“It is in our interest to continue the march,” said Michael Barbero, a retired army general who served three rounds in Iraq.
“Sadr has distanced himself from Iran, unlike other Shiite clerics and politicians in Iraq, he has established himself as a strong nationalist, but the Iranian-backed factions, which helped defeat a pro-Islamic organization, are still strong forces in Iraq.”
“If we assume that a supporter will not return, the only real question in Iraq is whether Iran will slowly dominate the country,” Jeffrey said.
“Sadr’s political list has not reached the majority and will therefore need to form a coalition with other political parties in Iraq,” the report said.
Jeffrey, according to the report, expressed concern that “political parties that may form a large coalition, may allow groups supported by Iran to enter the government, and thus control of the ministries of strong.”
He predicted that “Abadi remains prime minister if formed Sadr’s list, an alliance with his party any political party prime minister and other parties not linked to Iran.”
“Ebadi still has another chance,” said former Iraqi ambassador to the United States Lukman Vili.
US officials fear, according to the report, that “Iran’s hegemony in Iraq dominates Sunnis, who are a minority in Iraq, but they dominated politics in the country until the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003.
“The politically disadvantaged Sunnis were a major reason why a reluctant organization could control vast areas of Iraq in 2014, and many Sunnis considered the terrorist group to be the bulwark against the Shi’ite-dominated government,” he said.
“Sadr is a strange ally of the United States, whose followers led deadly uprisings against US forces in Iraq in 2004 in Najaf, the holy Shi’ite place in southern Iraq, and years later in Sadr City, a poor Shiite neighborhood, in Baghdad).
“Sadr’s national appeal came from the roots, from the depths, not as a top-down PR campaign,” said Stirling Jason, associate professor at the National Defense College of the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi. “The Iraqis were used to seeing them from their leaders Politicians “.
The top commander of coalition forces, General Ricardo Sanchez, said in 2004, “The task of US forces is to kill or capture Sadr.”
Sadr is the son of a respected Shi’ite religious leader with strong followers, especially among the working class and poor Shi’ites. This appeal was amplified during the parliamentary elections, prompting a strong national message and fighting corruption, whose political supporters were effective in delivering their message.
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