US paying for Iraq’s sovereignty breach
By Hassan Hanizadeh
Mideast affairs expert
The attack on Ain al-Asad Airbase serves as an inevitable consequence of the United States’ violations of Iraqi sovereignty. It should be viewed as a strong reaction from the Iraqi nation, expressing their discontent with American interference in their country’s affairs. While such attacks have occurred in the past, recent weeks witnessed the Americans attempting to assassinate several leading Iraqi figures and militia leaders, further enraging various Iraqi factions, tribes, and nomadic groups.
The Americans have set up 18 military bases across Iraq, pressing ahead with unilateral actions without proper coordination with the central government in Baghdad. Such actions have fomented insecurity and driven a wedge among Iraqi clans. Naturally, insecurity, acts of terror, and, most significantly, the violation of Iraq’s national sovereignty and independence have fueled dissatisfaction among Iraqis from all walks of life. The central government appears to be incapable of effectively dealing with the US presence, as the Americans even meddle in the financial affairs of the government—a clear affirmation of their infringement upon Iraq’s autonomy.
At the same time, reports indicate that the Americans are overseeing the training of ISIS forces in Iraq, potentially for future utilization. Such alarming reports have left Iraqi citizens and political factions, who have already suffered from the violence and crimes of ISIS, deeply concerned.
Hence, the attacks on the Ain al-Asad Airbase have been launched in response to the destabilizing acts and interference by the United States in Iraq’s internal affairs. They also serve as retaliation for the recent assassinations of Iraq’s popular figures by the US. It is foreseeable that unless the unlawful US presence in Iraq persists, coupled with their arbitrary conduct, such retaliatory attacks will continue to occur.
Both the US and Israel have bases in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, against the will of Iraqi officials, where they plot to damage the amicable relations between Iran and Iraq. This has led to border tensions between Tehran and Baghdad, as it directly contravenes the agreements between Iran and Iraq. The US military presence in Iraq has further complicated the already precarious situation within the country.
Moreover, the Americans use the Iraq-Syria border to secretly transfer military equipment to Israel. Such American support for Israel, particularly in the face of the ongoing atrocities in Gaza, stokes anti-US sentiments among the Iraqi Muslim population toward America. However, the primary root cause underlying the multitude of attacks on American bases in Iraq can be traced back to the United States’ violation of Iraq’s national sovereignty and independence.