Iran’s IRGC sets up secret Iraq cells to attack US bases in Gulf
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has established clandestine cells in Iraq to launch attacks on Gulf countries hosting US troops, bypassing established Iraqi armed factions to avoid detection, Reuters reported on Friday, citing Iraqi military, security, and “militia” sources.
The network consists of three or four cells, each made up of around 10 elite Iraqi Shiite fighters operating outside the command structure of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella alliance of Iran-backed factions, and reporting directly to Tehran. The sources said fighters launched at least seven drone attacks from desert areas near Basra and Samawa between April 20 and May 17 against sites in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
According to the report, the development points to a shift in Iran's regional approach as it seeks to preserve its influence while confronting military setbacks, economic difficulties, and the erosion of allied armed groups. Several major Iraqi factions have recently signaled a willingness to disarm and shift their focus to domestic politics, a trend that may have encouraged Tehran to rely on smaller, tightly controlled networks.
Read more: Iraq to place armed factions' weapons under state control
“The newer groups established by the IRGC appear smaller, more ideologically hardened and more tightly controlled, reflecting Iran's need to conserve resources amid economic strain,” retired Iraqi army general Jasim Al-Bahadli remarked.
The allegations, the report added, present an early test for Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi, who has pledged to prevent Iraqi territory from being used to threaten regional security. Iraqi authorities are investigating whether recent attacks on Gulf states originated inside Iraq, while Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have lodged protests with Baghdad.
Read more: Ali Al-Zaidi's incomplete cabinet faces Iraqi armed factions test
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