Iraq’s pro-Iranian Harakat Hezbollah threatened the US. In a tweet showing a US armored vehicle at night the group claimed that “we are closer than you think.” The leader of Nujaba, Akram al-Kaabi has said that the countdown to achieve Iraq’s “sovereignty” had begun, a reference to removing US forces. He showed an image of US Reaper and Predator drone flight paths.
The US sanctioned Nujaba in March of last year, part of a series of sanctions against Iran’s IRGC and pro-Iranian militias in Iraq. For instance Asaib Ahl al-Haq’s leader Qais Khazali was also sanctioned in December. These militias have tens of thousands of members and are linked to Iran. They fought ISIS and helped form the Popular Mobilization Units. They are now an official arm of the Iraqi security forces. However they have their own munitions warehouses and some are often directly loyal to Iran’s leadership. The US killed Kataib Hezbollah leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani on January 3. Soleimani helped organize the militias in Iraq, and Muhandis was deputy commander of the PMU. The PMU is also called the Hashd al-Sha’abi. Most of its members are Shi’ites.
In the recent tweet by Nasral Shammari, spokesman of the group, a US armored vehicle that appears to be Stryker is seen on night vision. Nujaba has written text on the photo they claim was taken on February 2. The caption and tweet notes that “we are closer than you think". The implication is clear. Nujaba is threatening US forces at Ayn al-Assad and other bases. A rocket was fired at the K-1 base near Kirkuk over the weekend. Iran launched ballistic missiles at Ayn al-Assad on January 8, giving more than 100 Americans cuncussions.
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The recent tweets by Nujaba suggest that the “countdown” to attacks on US forces has begun. They call the Americans “occupation forces” and say that Iraq must not be interfered with by outside powers. “His eminence, the Secretary-General of the Islamic Resistance, Al-Nujaba movement, Sheikh AKram Al-Kaabi” was quoted as saying the response will come. That means a response to the US. They say the “empire of resistance,” which means Iran, Hezbollah, the Houthis and PMU in Iraq, may strike at the US. Iran’s IRGC Aerospace commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh said the same thing over the weekend and Nasrallah and the IRGC chief Hossein Salami have made similar comments in the last 48 hours.
The calls by Nujaba have increased in the last week. They speak of the “blood of the martyrs at Baghdad airport,” a reference to where Soleimani was killed. The increase in rhetoric clearly shows they want to strike at the US. Al-Kaabi has also shown images of flight paths of US drones. It is not clear how he obtained them. Nujaba appears to be coordinating closely with Iran on its next moves against the US, as indicated by its own statements and history.
The US considers Al-Kaabi a major figure in Iran’s role in Iraq. It says he is a former member of Asaib Ahl al-Haq and was involved in attacks on US forces before 2011. He was born in 1977 and formed Nujaba in 2012. He has helped support the Syrian regime and is a key part of the PMU, alongside Kataib Hezbollah, Asaib and the Badr Organization. In 2018 he threatened to target the US in Iraq. The US says it designated him a terrorists in 2018. He is already on the Pentagon’s radar as a threat and part of the web of pro-Iranian threats to US forces in Iraq. The US has singled him out, alongside Khazali and Badr’s Hadi al-Amiri as keys to Iran’s role in Iraq.