Kataib Hezbollah suspends operations as US forces leave Iraq

Iraq’s Kataib Hezbollah group said in the past that it would only discuss giving up its arms when foreign troops leave the country. Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iraq’s Iran-aligned Kataib Hezbollah declared the cessation of military activities on Wednesday, the first day of the country’s post-coalition period. The declaration came after US Central Command concluded the evacuation of American personnel and equipment from Erbil Air Base, thereby concluding the US-led Operation Inherent Resolve operation in Iraq. Kataib Hezbollah has long opposed the presence of American forces in Iraq and has been one of the most vocal armed groups calling for their removal. The group and other Iran-aligned militias have previously launched or claimed assaults on US soldiers and military facilities. The suspension comes at a critical time for Baghdad, as the evacuation of US soldiers eliminates one of the primary grounds stated by armed groups for conducting military operations outside of Iraqi official institutions. The United States’ withdrawal puts an end to the coalition campaign, which started in 2014 after ISIS conquered Mosul and huge parts of northern and western Iraq. American soldiers had already invaded Iraq in 2003, primarily withdrawing in 2011, and returning three years later at Baghdad’s request to assist in the battle against ISIS. The coalition’s departure has shifted focus to the future of Iraq’s armed groups, as well as Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s attempts to put armaments and military decision-making under state control. The Iraqi government said on Wednesday that talks with armed groups on integration into state structures were ongoing, as Baghdad took full responsibility for the country’s security. The problem is expected to be one of the most crucial challenges for Al-Zaidi after the US pullout. Several armed groups continue to wield substantial military and political power while nominally working inside or alongside Iraq’s governmental security apparatus. Kataib Hezbollah, which developed during the 2003 US-led invasion, grew to be one of Iraq’s most formidable Iran-aligned militias, eventually fighting ISIS as part of a larger mobilization of Iraqi armed groups. The group’s cessation of activities comes as Iraq starts a new security phase after more than two decades of US military engagement. The next problem for Baghdad will be to determine whether the end of the foreign military operation will be followed by increased Iraqi state authority over security and armed activities across the nation.