Iraqi Security Forces Fired About the protesters A shooting outside a KFC restaurant in Baghdad on Monday reportedly left three people injured and 12 people arrested.
It was the third mob attack on a KFC in Baghdad in a week, apparently inspired by Iranian-backed Shiite militias who have called for boycotts and attacks against the American brand.
Iraqi Ministry of Interior Said After Monday’s arrests, it was reported that some of the suspects “unfortunately” appeared to belong to security services. Security officials said many of those detained were quickly released.
The Iraqi government is trying to attract major international brands to do business in Iraq, while Iranian militia proxies want to punish Western companies that have supported Israel. KFC (formerly known as Kentucky Fried Chicken) is a popular brand in parts of the Middle East and is therefore often the target of boycotts and mob actions.
Masked men with guns, bombs and clubs Attacked Some KFC — in Baghdad along with other American brands such as Chili House, Lee’s and Caterpillar. The incidents have been ongoing since May, with security camera footage showing vandals throwing Molotov cocktails at some locations and physically entering others to smash equipment, windows and furniture, with masked thugs vandalizing stores with batons and sending terrified customers fleeing the establishments.
Kataib Hezbollah attacked restaurants in Baghdad earlier this evening, hitting KFC and other brands. pic.twitter.com/QTXakHgtEF
— Steven Nabil (@thestevennabil) June 3, 2024
Two Iran-backed militia leaders in Iraq Confirmed Officials told The Associated Press on Friday that the attackers were militia operatives who were aimed at stoking a boycott of American brands and reinforcing the image of militias as powerful and dangerous.
A spokesman for Kataib Hezbollah, one of the largest Iran-backed militias, said Monday that its supporters should unite and take action to remove what they say is an Israeli “spy ring in civilian clothes” from Iraq.
Political analyst Ehsan al-Shammari said the attack had “political objectives”, including sending a message that “any investment or presence of Western companies in Iraq is unviable”.
The government of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani, which enjoys significant political support from Iraq’s pro-Iranian faction, has mobilized security forces to crack down on the most blatant acts of vandalism and unrest.
Iranian proxy militias lost While the 2021 parliamentary elections gave Sudani considerable power, they also saw the rise of radical Shiites loyal to Iraq rather than Iran. The mercurial nature of Iraq’s most influential Shiite and nationalist leader, Muqtada al-Sadr, gave Sudani an opportunity to slip into power as a compromise candidate.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani (Mourtada Al-Sudani // Courtesy of the Associated Press)
Al-Sadr Requested In May, Sudan’s president announced he was expelling the US ambassador and closing the US embassy in retaliation for Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza, graciously saying he wanted the closure to be done “without bloodshed.”
Sudani poured money into Shiite militias who were nominally deployed by the Iraqi army to fight Islamic State, but he showed little subservience to the Baghdad government, sending a message that he wanted a more stable Iraq that could attract more foreign investment.
Any progress Sudan had been making in that direction was undermined by Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7 and Israel’s military response in Gaza. Shiite militias began attacking American military positions throughout Iraq, at first ineffectively, but later Fatal Outcome.
militia Paused For a while, they refrained from attacking out of concern that they would “embarrass” the Sudanese government. Resuming Hostilities in April, including Israel launching attacks on the Rafah neighborhood in the Gaza Strip, have now appeared to shift to a strategy of boycott and sabotage, including attacks on American businesses in Baghdad.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller Said At a press conference on Thursday, he said the US expected the Iraqi government to “deter attacks on its territory”, including militia attacks on Iraqi civilians.
In essence, attacks on U.S. corporate franchises harm Iraqi workers, Iraqi customers, and sometimes Iraqi capital employed there, and therefore it is an attack on the Iraqi people, and we believe that the Iraqi government should take appropriate steps to respond to these attacks and hold people accountable.
Miller said the US was concerned that Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) – the name given to the Shiite militias who joined the fight against ISIS – “are refusing to comply with Iraq’s top command and are engaging in violent and destabilising activities in Iraq and Syria.” He declined to comment when reporters pointed out that some of the terrorists arrested in Baghdad on Monday were reportedly members of the security forces.
