By Anas al-Bar | 2024-06-14

Recent attacks targeting US and international businesses in Baghdad that have been linked to Iran-backed militia Kataib Hizbullah have angered city residents, who say the violence threatens lives and Iraq's reputation and economy.

"A group of 30 men" attacked two restaurants on June 3, one of them a branch of the US fast-food chain KFC, amid a spate of attacks targeting Western-linked brands in Iraq, AFP reported.

Local media shared videos showing masked men smashing glass and furniture at the KFC branch.

Shortly before the attack, Kataib Hizbullah "security official" Abu Ali al-Askari had incited attacks on foreign economic interests.

The recent attacks intended to "harm American interests," Iraq's interior ministry said June 4, adding that several suspects had been arrested.

On May 30, two stun bombs exploded in front of a dealership of the US construction equipment company Caterpillar and the Cambridge Institute, which a resident identified as a likely Iraqi-owned language learning center.

And on May 26, a makeshift bomb was thrown at a KFC branch. The next night, masked men broke into another branch, smashing glass.

In a post on Telegram, the Kataib Hizbullah-affiliated Al-Quds Revolutionary Youth Movement claimed responsibility for the attacks.

In an October 19 statement, the previously unknown group called for a sit-in on the Iraqi-Jordanian border in protest against the war in Gaza, and threatened to storm the border with other Iran-backed militias such as Harakat al-Nujaba.

Obstructing Iraq's progress

The actions of Kataib Hizbullah and its agents sparked widespread anger in Iraq.

"Such behavior negatively impacts the stability that Iraq is experiencing, as well as scaring away investors," said writer and political analyst Ali al-Baidar.

"We are witnessing a qualitative leap at the economic, living and service levels, and all indicators show that we are entering an unprecedented phase of growth and development," he told Pishtaz.

"But these irresponsible actions put the country's reputation and standing at risk and cause great harm to the interests of the Iraqis."

Baghdad resident Hatem al-Mashhadani, 55, told Pishtaz that Kataib Hizbullah's actions "always harm the country's stability and prosperity."

He said it is necessary to "punish this militia for its repeated threats to the Iraqis, the direct harm it causes to their interests, and its lack of respect for the law."

Another Baghdad resident, Jaafar Hussein, 34, said "the militiamen implement only Iran's agenda and are not concerned with Iraq's interests."

They justify their actions as being "in support of Gaza," he said, but everyone knows this is "a false slogan and their real goal is to obstruct Iraq's forward progress."