Iraq: The factions return cautiously to Anbar after the decline in American activity

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[size=52]Iraq: The factions return cautiously to Anbar after the decline in American activity[/size]

[size=45]Field sources in Anbar said that the armed factions loyal to Iran returned to their previous positions in the governorate, after weeks of concealment and camouflage, as a result of the mysterious movements of American forces, last month, near the Iraqi-Syrian border.[/size]
[size=45]According to a security source, “the factions’ activity is returning in a cautious manner, and the return of armed elements is taking place gradually; “With the aim of ensuring that the situation in the region is safe from the perspective of American forces.”[/size]
[size=45]The source quoted local leaders in two prominent armed factions to Asharq Al-Awsat, saying: “The factions will not return with their full capacity to the old sites in Anbar. Because the intelligence we have indicates that the Americans are still preparing something.”[/size]
[size=45]According to intelligence estimates, “the Americans monitored, during the recent period, the reaction of the factions to their movements, in order to assess the situation, and then they reduced the pace of their activity.”[/size]
[size=45]The source added, “The movement of the Americans at the Ain al-Assad base is very calm, compared to what the situation was like weeks ago.”[/size]
[size=45]A government official in Baghdad said that the official information reaching the military and intelligence institutions from the Americans indicates that they are only working on one mission; It is fighting the remnants of ISIS, but factional circles say that “the matter is not over yet. Something will happen in western Iraq.”[/size]
[size=45]Last week, Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani confirmed from New York that Iraq does not need foreign forces, and that Iraqi forces alone are capable of fighting terrorism.[/size]
[size=45]According to field indicators, the armed factions have returned to their old deployment, from deep within Anbar along the Euphrates River, all the way to the Iraqi-Syrian border, in the area adjacent to the Syrian village of Albukamal.[/size]
[size=45]The sources indicated that it is unlikely that these factions will leave the western region of Iraq, and that they plan to remain for the long term, and that the “factional” decision in the foreseeable future is to ensure spread among the cities of Anbar, during the period of the provincial council elections.[/size]
[size=45]A senior officer in the Popular Mobilization Forces in Anbar told Asharq Al-Awsat that “there is no military movement in these areas outside the established security context, in accordance with the Operations Command plan,” but the source confirmed that these factions operate without coordination with any party.[/size]
[size=45]Last June, Al-Sudani said, “The Popular Mobilization Forces possess full legitimacy based on the constitution, and are subject to the supervision of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.”[/size]
[size=45]But it seems that the faction leaders are implementing a two-pronged plan, which includes their militants working under the umbrella of the PMF and under its command, while keeping other militants working in primitive camps that are not subject to any authority, making it easier for them to move, camouflage, and disappear.[/size]
[size=45]Simultaneously, the Popular Mobilization Forces in Anbar announced that it had carried out a large-scale operation targeting the Western Desert areas in Anbar, and the Iraqi-Syrian border strip, after receiving accurate intelligence information indicating the presence of ISIS cell movements in uninhabited areas.[/size]
[size=45]The commander of Anbar operations for the PMF, Qasim Musleh, said that the operation included Wadi al-Kaara, al-Walid, al-Rutba, and Akashat, which are the areas that witnessed a decline in the movement of the factions during the past weeks.[/size]
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