Attacks on US-linked companies rock Baghdad as anger over Gaza grows | Israel-Palestine conflict news

A dozen masked men jump out of two SUVs and a white pickup truck and storm a KFC in Baghdad, destroying everything in their path before fleeing the scene. A few days earlier, similar violence occurred at Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken and Chili House – all US brands popular in the Iraqi capital.

While no one was seriously injured, the latest attacks – apparently orchestrated by supporters of Iran-backed, anti-American militias in Iraq – reflect growing anger at the United States, Israel’s main ally, over the war in Gaza.

Iraqi governments have been balancing on a fine line between Washington and Tehran for years, but the eight-month war in the Gaza Strip, which has claimed the lives of more than 36,000 Palestinians, has significantly worsened the situation.

A few days after the outbreak of the war, a coalition of Iran-backed militias called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq launched dozens of attacks on US military bases in Iraq and eastern Syria.

These attacks stopped in February – but only after a series of US retaliatory strikes following a drone attack on a base in Jordan that killed three US soldiers.

The attacks on U.S.-linked companies and brands in Iraq in late May and earlier this week represent a shift in tactics aimed at maximizing anti-American sentiment in the face of Washington’s support for Israel.

The attack on KFC was like a robbery – only the attackers weren’t after the money.

Security camera footage shows the masked men entering the fast-food restaurant while terrified employees and customers flee through a back exit. The men then smash windows and LED screens and destroy chairs, tables, kitchen equipment – and whatever else they can find.

Minutes later, security forces arrive at the scene and fire warning shots, whereupon the perpetrators run back into their cars and speed away.

In other incidents, a sound bomb was thrown in front of the Caterpillar store, shaking the neighborhood and leaving a small pothole in the street.

Some of the expressions of anti-American sentiment were less violent.

Protesters marched to the PepsiCo office in Baghdad last week with Palestinian and Iraqi flags, chanting “No to agents” and “No to Israel.” Another protest took place outside the Procter & Gamble office.

The attacked buildings and branches are now guarded by Iraqi forces equipped with assault rifles and supported by armored vehicles with mounted machine guns.

Deterrent US presence

Two representatives of the Iran-backed militias in Iraq confirmed to the Associated Press that the attackers were their supporters and that their aim was to provoke a boycott of American brands and prevent their presence in the country.

It is also an attempt to polish the image of the militias, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with their groups’ regulations.

Abu Ali al-Askari, spokesman for the powerful Iran-backed paramilitary Kataib Hezbollah, urged his supporters on Monday to get rid of Israel’s “plainclothes spy subsidiaries” – a reference to companies and organizations perceived to be linked to the United States and Israel.

Essa Ahmad, who has organized more than 30 protests in support of the Gaza Strip, recently told a rally in Baghdad that he and other youth activists were calling on Iraqis to boycott products “that support Israel,” but said they would not tolerate violence.

Fiery Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr – a rival of the Iran-backed factions who, despite retiring from politics, remains popular among many Iraqi Shiites – called on Iraq to expel the US ambassador.

‘Playground’

Political analyst Ihsan al-Shammari believes the attacks on American and Western brands play into the decades-old rivalry between Tehran and Washington.

“These attacks have political objectives,” he told AP. They send the message “that Western investments and presence in Iraq cannot survive.”

Renad Mansour, a research fellow at Chatham House in London, says Iraq has been a “playground” for both Washington and Tehran, leaving the governments in Baghdad with little sovereignty and room for maneuver.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who came to power with the backing of a pro-Iranian coalition, sought to appease his anti-American allies without stoking tensions with Washington or jeopardizing foreign investment in Iraq.

In recent months, Iraq and the United States began formal talks on the withdrawal of about 2,000 U.S. troops stationed in Iraq as part of an agreement with Baghdad aimed primarily at combating the ISIL group.

“The Iraqi prime minister … has promoted the idea that Iraq is out of the war and is focused on restoring relations with the United States, reviewing relations with Iran and pushing for Iraqi sovereignty,” Mansour told AP. “Of course, the war in Gaza has had an impact on that.”

Arrests

The Interior Ministry said some suspects had been arrested in the unrest and that more were being sought.

But the two militia members claimed that the government did not dare to take action against the rioters, even though it knew who they were, because it feared an escalation. They warned of further attacks on US interests if the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq was further delayed.

US Ambassador to Iraq Alina Romanowski condemned the targeted attacks on US and international franchises in a post on the social media platform X, saying they could harm foreign investment in the Iraqi economy.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the attacks on “American business concessions harm Iraqi workers, Iraqi customers and sometimes the Iraqi capital employed there.”

“Ultimately, these are attacks against the Iraqi people,” Miller said. “We believe the Iraqi government should take appropriate action to respond to these attacks and hold people accountable.”

Iraqi security spokesman Major General Tahseen al-Khafaji told AP that the rioters would be pursued, as would anyone who threatened the country’s security and economic well-being.

“We are making significant efforts to protect investments and the progress made by the current government,” al-Khafaji said. “It is important to protect these achievements and create a safe environment for investors.”

Still, al-Askari warned security officials not to stand in the way of efforts to “eliminate” U.S. interests in Iraq.