The strike on the “Hezbollah al-Nujaba” militia, the wing that is most unrelenting and audacious in its refusal to be tamed by the state, was a predictable reaction given the group’s leading role in attacks on US interests in Iraq. However, the ultimate question today is whether a critical reexamination of the ramifications of the American “fast food” strikes in the region. Although these strikes satisfy the short-term need to reestablish deterrence and offer a US show of force, they cannot solve the problem.
In Iraq, Abu Taqwa Al-Saedi, leader of the “Rocket Battalion” within the Harakat al Nujaba group, was killed in a US attack on their Baghdad headquarters. Al-Saedi’s battalion has been unusually active since the beginning of war in Gaza, operating between Iraqi cities and Syria. According to a statement issued by the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), which Harakat al Nujaba group is a part of, Al-Saedi also served as the “Deputy Commander of the Operations for the Baghdad Belt,” referring to the agricultural areas surrounding the capital.