Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) shown in a handout picture provided by the Iranian presidency on September 22, 2019.
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has developed covert cells inside Iraq to conduct strikes against Gulf nations hosting U.S. soldiers, circumventing existing militia networks in an attempt to evade discovery, a Reuters report citing eight Iraqi officials said.
The study says three or four secret groups, each of which consisted of 10 Iraqi Shiite elite warriors, conducted at least seven drone assaults from desert locations between Basra and Samawa between April 20 and May 17.
The attacked locations allegedly were in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.
The claims are especially delicate for Iraq, which has spent recent years trying to repair ties with Gulf Arab neighbors via increasing commerce, investment, and energy cooperation.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE built stronger economic and political allies with Baghdad in recent years.
The suspected cells were formed outside typical militia organizations, raising worries that Iraqi authorities may have been surprised by activities taking place on their turf, Reuters said.
If true, the claim underscores the difficulties Baghdad faces in exercising state control over all military activities.
Any strike conducted from Iraqi land against neighboring nations has the potential of harming relationships in the area at a time when Baghdad is seeking deeper ties with the Gulf.
Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi stressed recently that Iraq should not be pulled into regional wars and that Iraqi land should not be used to threaten other countries.
The report also comes as part of a wider push by the Iraqi government to strengthen state institutions, reduce the influence of non-state armed groups, and depict Iraq as a stable regional partner ready to attract global investment and economic cooperation.
Iraqi authorities have not reacted publicly to the particular charges, but the assertions are expected to deepen discussion on sovereignty, security, and the role of armed players acting beyond direct government supervision.
The claims highlight, for many observers, the difficult situation Iraq is in, trying to balance its connections with Iran and the US while also pursuing closer political and economic links with its neighbors in the Gulf.