Washington Summons Iraq's Ambassador Over Militia Attacks
The State Department summoned Iraq’s ambassador this week to formally condemn attacks by Iranian-backed militias on US diplomatic facilities and personnel. Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau acknowledged Iraqi security forces made some effort to respond but delivered an unmistakable message: Baghdad’s failure to prevent these attacks — and the fact that elements within the Iraqi government are actively covering for the militias — is damaging the bilateral relationship.
The specific trigger was an April 8 ambush of US personnel. That’s not a protest outside a gate. That’s an armed attack on American forces, and it happened while a nominal ceasefire with Iran was supposed to be in effect.
This is the structural trap the US has been in for years. Iraq’s government is simultaneously a US partner and a host state for militias that answer to Tehran. Washington has no clean way to pressure one without destabilizing the other. The summons is a signal, but signals have been going unheeded for a long time.