Armed factions end the truce with the international coalition ... and the Hashd Commission pledges t

[size=52]Armed factions end the truce with the international coalition ... and the Hashd Commission pledges to turn a blind eye to the attacks[/size]

[size=45]Translated by Hamid Ahmed[/size]
[size=45]The commander of one of the prominent armed factions told the British website Middle East Eye, that the Iraqi armed factions have declared an end to an informal truce with the United States, threatening to carry out attacks targeting US military bases and convoys.[/size]
[size=45]The leader said in a statement that the decision to put an end to the truce, which came into effect last October, came because of "the absence of the Iraqi and American governments' seriousness in setting a timetable for the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq."[/size]
[size=45]Earlier on Monday, three missiles targeted the Ain al-Assad base in the western desert of Iraq, where US forces are stationed.[/size]
[size=45]On Monday, the spokesman for the International Coalition in Iraq, Wayne Maruto, said that the Ain Al-Asad air base was subject to a missile attack, but no injuries were reported.[/size]
[size=45]In a tweet, Maruto added that the damage is being assessed, while the attack is under investigation, stressing that every attack against the Iraqi government, the Kurdistan Regional Government and the coalition undermines the authority of Iraqi institutions, the rule of law and Iraqi national sovereignty.[/size]
[size=45]On Monday, a security source in Anbar police told Al-Mada that the Ain Al-Assad base in the city of Al-Baghdadi, west of the governorate, had been subjected to a missile attack "without any human or material damage being recorded."[/size]
[size=45]The source, who preferred not to be named, said that a Katyusha missile that was directed at Ain Al-Assad base deviated from its course and landed in the institution's area in Al-Baghdadi without causing human or material damage.[/size]
[size=45]The source added that the security forces rushed to deploy and conduct inspections for fear of renewed bombing, while warning sirens sounded in the vicinity of the base in anticipation of any new attack.[/size]
[size=45]In turn, the leader of the Anbar Mobilization Forces, Qatar Al-Obeidi, announced that a Katyusha-type missile had fallen, targeting the Ain Al-Assad base in the governorate, in Al-Baghdadi Al-Sharqiya, near the homes of citizens in the institution.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Obeidi said, in an audio recording, that "the accident did not result in human damage, and that the security forces went to the scene."[/size]
[size=45]No one has claimed responsibility for the bombing, but it comes in conjunction with a statement by Iraqi factions, in which they announced the escalation of their attacks against US forces in Iraq.[/size]
[size=45]It is noteworthy that the Iraqi Security Media Cell announced, on April 8, that it had thwarted an attack with twenty-four missiles on the Ain Al-Asad air base.[/size]
[size=45]On the eighth of last May, the Iraqi army announced the downing of a "bombed drone" on the Ain Al-Asad air base.[/size]
[size=45]According to Al-Mada sources in Anbar at the time, "a plane or two drones and two car bombs bombed the American base of Ain Al-Asad, west of Anbar."[/size]
[size=45]The sources added that "the attack caused damage to the warehouses for keeping US aircraft inside the base."[/size]
[size=45]For the past year and a half, Iranian-backed factions, sometimes without adopting them or claiming responsibility in the name of unknown groups, have launched missiles targeting the 2,500 American soldiers still in Iraq, as well as the US embassy in Baghdad. According to Iraqi security officials, the attack, which saw at least one rocket fall inside the base, did not result in any significant losses.[/size]
[size=45]Attacks against US forces and their Western allies within the international coalition have become routine attacks in an effort by Iranian-backed armed factions to force the United States to withdraw from Iraq.[/size]
[size=45]Last October, the armed factions agreed to a truce with US forces when the administration of former US President Donald Trump threatened to close the US embassy in Baghdad and attack Iranian targets inside and outside Iraq.[/size]
[size=45]Since then, despite a few breaches, such as the missile attack on Baghdad International Airport earlier this month, the truce has largely been in place.[/size]
[size=45]Since the United States assassinated the commander of the Iranian Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, and the deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, in January 2020, pressure began to mount on the government to force it to remove foreign forces from the country.[/size]
[size=45]Last April, Iraq and the United States announced plans to withdraw coalition forces from the country according to a timetable to be determined by joint military-technical committees.[/size]
[size=45]The announcement of the third round of the strategic dialogue between the two countries included an agreement to change the nature of the mission of the coalition forces from combat forces to advisory and for training purposes.[/size]
[size=45]On Saturday, the Resistance Coordination Committee for the Armed Factions issued a statement criticizing the Iraqi government, stressing that it had been given several opportunities to determine the fate of the foreign forces. "But what resulted in the rounds of talks with the American side was very bad and unsuccessful," it said.[/size]
[size=45]The Resistance Commission, which includes seven influential armed factions, has warned that it will now launch attacks "to force the occupation forces to leave."[/size]
[size=45]A prominent leader of one of the armed factions told Middle East Eye, “All the factions agreed to escalate attacks against American forces. It decided to carry out more attacks, some of the attacks it may not have previously committed to in Iraq. ”[/size]
[size=45]"It has been decided that the operations will be qualitative and effective," he added. Some of them may be carried out using missiles, while other attacks will be carried out using drones. ”[/size]
[size=45]On Monday evening, no response was received from the Iraqi government regarding these new threats, but a senior leader in the Popular Mobilization Authority told Middle East Eye that "the crowd has nothing to do with this escalation and will not be part of it."[/size]
[size=45]The leader in the crowd added, "The agreement between the leaders of the Popular Mobilization Authority and the armed factions stipulated that the PMF will not be dragged into this trend and that the PMF will not criticize the operations carried out by the factions, but rather turn a blind eye to it."[/size]
[size=45]The commander of the US Central Command in the Middle East, General Kenneth McKenzie, said in statements to him Saturday that finding better ways to counter attacks by drones carrying explosives is a top priority for the United States.[/size]
[size=45]McKinsey added that the use of small drones by Iranian-backed armed factions will increase in the next few years, indicating that the United States must find more ways to counter the use of these aircraft. He emphasized that every effort is being made to find technical solutions "that would allow us to be more effective against drones."[/size]
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