Advisor to Iraqi PM tells militias: The battlefields are elsewhere

BAGHDAD – Abdul Amir Taiban, an advisor to the Iraqi Prime Minister, has called on Islamic Resistance groups, which include several Shiite militias in Iraq, to direct their efforts toward active conflict zones such as Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, rather than involving Iraq in regional warfare. In a recent statement, Taiban firmly rejected claims that Iraq is part of the “Axis of Resistance,” warning that labeling Iraq as a resistance state could lead to “disaster.”

Taiban stressed that, while Iraq opposes Israel, the government’s top priority is to protect the country from the dangers of war. “Iraq provides political and humanitarian support to nations facing Israeli aggression, in line with guidance from our highest religious authorities, but we must avoid actions that could bring destruction to Iraq,” he said.

Several Iraqi militias affiliated with the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq,” including Kataib Hezbollah, Kataib Sayyid Al-Shuhada, and Harakat Al-Nujaba, have claimed responsibility for recent drone strikes against Israel, which they launched in response to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Selected excerpts from Taiban’s Interview on Al-Sharqiya TV:​

To those who are outside the authority of the government, they must consider the interests and resources of their people in their current steps. Those who possess weapons, the battlefields are in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. As for Iraq, its situation is special, and it has commitments and strategic treaties with the United States, which does not want Iraq to resemble the previous regime, acting as the region’s policeman. While Israel is our strategic enemy, turning our political system into a ‘resistance regime’ would be disastrous.

The Prime Minister is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces by virtue of the constitution, which includes the Popular Mobilization Forces. However, if there are armed factions not under the command of the Commander-in-Chief—three or four factions—they are responsible for their own actions, and they cannot drag Iraq, with all its communities, into an unequal war with the U.S. and Israel, even though they are part of Iraq’s social fabric.

Israel has shown blatant disregard for civilians in its massacres, has killed resistance leaders, and has defied the U.S. and rebelled against NATO. Thus, the Prime Minister is working diligently to avoid Iraq being dragged into a direct confrontation with Israel through his contacts with the U.S., China, and Gulf countries, alongside efforts by the Speaker of Parliament in the same direction, where he is in communication with European Union ambassadors.