Home » Iraq’s Tangled Web of Alliances Draws It into the Iran Conflict

Iraq’s Tangled Web of Alliances Draws It into the Iran Conflict

Iraq, a country with a complex mix of Iran-aligned groups and US military presence, has become a focal point in the escalating conflict in Iran, with attacks emanating from all directions.

The US military has faced allegations of launching multiple strikes against positions held by Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces, which includes some brigades with ties to Iran. Conversely, US facilities in Iraq have been targeted, with a recent incident involving a drone attack on a helipad within the US Embassy in Baghdad, according to security sources.

Furthermore, Kurdish forces in northern Iraq have come under fire from groups backed by Tehran, with one drone attack specifically targeting the residence of Nechirvan Barzani, the president of the Kurdish region.

“Iraq’s precarious situation arises from the fragmentation of its state and its foreign policy,” Renad Mansour, a senior research fellow and director of the Iraq Initiative at the UK-based think tank Chatham House, explained to Al Jazeera. “Iraq’s diverse political and security landscape is comprised of various factions with allegiances to competing external powers: Some maintain close relationships with Iran, while others are more closely tied to the US.”

Read more on the conflict’s expansion into Iraq here.

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