The Kurdish regional capital of Erbil has once again become the scene of attacks on US troops carried out by Iran-aligned militias. I was at the airport picking someone up when the drone was intercepted at the other end. What people who don't know such areas can hardly imagine: I hardly noticed it.
An airport is big, a big city is big and there are a lot of noises. And sometimes something bangs. It only became clear later that it was so close.
These repeated incidents at Erbil Airport and Harir Airbase, some 70km away, have increased tension between the US and Iran. However, Iran is careful to only shell US facilities and avoid civilian casualties among the Kurds in order not to further antagonize them. A few years ago that didn't work two bystanders in Erbil were injured.
The attacks on US troops
In recent months, Iran-aligned and controlled militias, loosely working under the collective name “Islamic Resistance in Iraq,” have repeatedly attacked U.S. military bases in Iraqi Kurdistan and Syria. These attacks are seen as a response to US support for Israel in the conflict with the terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The militias have used missiles and homemade Iranian drones to carry out their attacks.
On December 27, 2023, members of the Kataib Hezbollah militia attacked the Erbil air base in northern Iraq with drones. Three US soldiers were injured in the attack, one of whom is in critical condition. The US then responded with targeted airstrikes on three sites used by Kataib Hezbollah and allied groups.
The Iraqi central government condemned both the militia attack and the US countermeasures. She described the US airstrikes as a “hostile act” that violated Iraq’s sovereignty. It was said from Baghdad that the USA had shelled Iraqi army positions.
The Iraqi central government is massively under the control of Iran and has almost no power in Kurdistan-Iraq Dejure and Defacto. Therefore, there are still American and Turkish air bases there. The Turkish in the north, around those from the Türkiye to fend off the coming PKK the Americans primarily against the Islamic State and to keep an eye on Iran.
Iraq's security forces were therefore ordered from Erbil to pursue those responsible for the attacks on US interests.
The role of the Iranian regime
Iran is accused of supporting and directing its allied militias in Iraq. These militias, such as Kataib Hezbollah, are known to be ideologically close to Iran and to be financed and armed by it. They have carried out repeated attacks on US troops in the past.
Iran's motivation for attacking US troops lies in its conflict with the US and its support for Israel. Iran views US support for Israel as a threat and responds by attacking US troops in Iraq.
The US reaction
The United States has repeatedly responded to attacks by Iran-aligned militias with targeted airstrikes. These attacks aim to weaken the militias' infrastructure and fighters and impair their ability to carry out further attacks.
President Biden has called the attacks on US troops unacceptable and vowed retaliation. The targeted airstrikes are intended to weaken the militias and protect US troops. At the same time, the US government emphasizes that it does not seek further escalations and that it wants to continue working with the Iraqi government to ensure the security and stability of the region.
Impact on the Kurdistan-Iraq region
The attacks on US troops in Kurdistan Iraq must be viewed in the global context: Iran helps Russia in the attack on Ukraine and thus ties up US forces in the region. At the same time Iran is exerting pressure targeting the Iraqi central government and trying to persuade the US-led Western troops to leave the country. In addition, Iran is equipping the pro-Iranian militias in Iraq with weapons with which to attack US bases.
The US bases in Erbil and Harir are also the places where US troops enter and leave on the way to Syria. Both bases are also used to supply the troops in Syria. The US presence in Syria is a thorn in the side not only of the Syrian regime and Iran, but also of Turkey. US troops in Syria are allied with the Kurdish YPG there, which in turn is well-connected to the Turkey-based PKK.
Should the Americans and their partners have to leave all of Iraq, Iran would be able to project its military power across Iraq, Syria and Lebanon all the way to the Israeli border.
This year, the USA will have to position itself clearly and show how much the location in Kurdistan-Iraq is worth to them.
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