Iraq
Kataib Hezbollah emblem on the arm of one of its fighters (left) and file photo of Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani (right). Graphic: Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The powerful pro-Iranian group Kataib Hezbollah on Monday criticized Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani for his response to a recent deadly attack on a branch of the agriculture ministry in Baghdad, accusing him of incompetence. The United States has blamed the group for the incident.
Armed men affiliated with the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi) attacked an agriculture ministry office in Baghdad’s Karkh district late last month leaving three people dead - a policeman, a civilian, and a member of Kataib Hezbollah. Baghdad confirmed that the perpetrators of the attack were PMF members.
Abu Ali al-Askari, the head of Kataib Hezbollah Security Bureau, said in a statement on Monday that the Baghdad incident was a “trap whose treads were tightened by the hand of one of the Shiite traitors,” without naming anyone.
He claimed that "corrupt security leaders are working to serve the American and Israeli project represented in chaos and division” and accused Sudani of lacking military experience and the characteristics of a good leader. Askari also called on the ruling coalition to replace Sudani with a "qualified" individual.
A day after the attack, the US embassy in Baghdad blamed Hezbollah for the incident and called on the Iraqi authorities to hold the faction responsible.
Washington holds Kataib Hezbollah, a key player in the Iran-led "Axis of Resistance," responsible for numerous attacks on US assets in the region since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October 2023.
Sudani has vowed to hold the perpetrators accountable and ordered a probe into the attack.
The pro-Tehran group has denied involvement in the attack.
Iraq’s Shiite-led Coordination Framework also condemned the attack as a “violation of the law and state procedures.”
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