ERBIL, Kurdistan Region -- US military commanders have been ordered by the Pentagon to prepare for a potential operation against the pro-Iran militia Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq to “destroy” the group, several US officials told the New York Times. However, a top American commander in Iraq has warned against it. Issued last week, the secret directive by the US Department of Defense orders commanders to plan for a campaign to destroy Kataib Hezbollah, a militia in Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) which has threatened and carried out rocket attacks against US forces. However, the US general in Iraq Lt. Gen. Robert P. White wrote a memorandum to the Pentagon in response to the directive, saying a new military operation against the group would require the deployment of thousands of troops to the country and would divert energy from its central mission in Iraq - training Iraqi forces to fight the Islamic State group (ISIS). The terrorist group maintains an active presence in Iraq, particularly in the disputed territories, despite being territorially defeated in 2017. The New York Times sources, who have direct knowledge of the exchange, said that US President Donald Trump did not make a decision during an Oval Office meeting on March 19 about whether he should authorize the new campaign. Instead, he ordered the continuation of plans. The US assassinations of top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani and top PMF leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in early January were followed by new escalations in tensions between the US and Iran, alongside Iraqi proxy groups . US bases in Iraq have been frequently targeted by rockets with the latest one being last week in Baghdad. The deaths of the commanders were followed by a non-binding resolution from the Iraqi parliament in January, calling for the withdrawal of US troops in the country. This comes amid the recent US handover of two key military bases to Iraqi forces. Al-Qaim and Qayyarah military bases were signed over to the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) recently, and a US withdraw from Kirkuk’s K1 airbase is expected in the coming weeks. The US has also decided to withdraw non-emergency staff from its Baghdad embassy, Erbil consulate, and Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and deteriorating security situation. US-Iraq relations in 2020 have been thorny, with many Iraqi officials unsure of whether to maintain their relations with the United States or improve their relations with the US’ foe in the region, Iran. Cmdr. Sean Robertson, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement that “Operation Inherent Resolve is in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government and remains focused on partnering with Iraqi security forces for the shared goal of permanently defeating ISIS remnants. We are not going to discuss hypotheticals or internal deliberations.” The PMF, known in Arabic as Hashd al-Shaabi, is a predominantly Shiite network of around 60 paramilitaries. While the militias have been incorporated on paper into Iraq’s armed forces since 2016 and received $2.16 billion dollars from Iraq’s defense budget in 2019, they do not report to the Iraqi Defense Ministry. It was established during former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s tenure in 2014, after a fatwa (religious decree) by Ayatollah Sistani, the highest Shiite authority in Iraq, called for volunteers. Sistani’s fatwa came as the Islamic State (ISIS) began looming uncomfortably close to Baghdad. The paramilitary groups in the network include Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Badr Corps, and Kataib Hezbollah.
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