Interview with an Iraqi analyst; Qassem Soleimani's successor in Iraq is one of the leaders of Hezbollah in Lebanon!

Interview with an Iraqi analyst; Qassem Soleimani's successor in Iraq is one of the leaders of Hezbollah in Lebanon!
- After the killing of Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Al-Mohandes and the inability of Ismail Qaani to coordinate the forces affiliated with the Islamic Republic in Iraq, this responsibility was handed over to Muhammad al-Kawthari, one of the leaders of Hezbollah in Lebanon.



 The United States has set a $ 10 million reward for information leading to the capture of al-Kawthari.
Former Iraqi security chief Mustafa al-Kazemi is the latest candidate to form a new government. The majority of Shiite groups and Kurdish and Sunni parties have also declared their support for Mustafa al-Kazemi. Al-Kazemi has extensive ties to Tehran and Washington.
- The Iraqi analyst Qanbar Intifada in Washington considers the separation of the four quasi-military organizations from the popular uprising to be positive but dramatic, and believes that this action should not be considered an opposition to the Islamic Republic.

Thursday, May 11, 2010 is equal to April 30, 2020

Ahmed Raft - On Wednesday, April 29, 2020, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo once again called on political parties in Iraq to seek a non-partisan government that can serve the national interests of its citizens.


Protests in Baghdad, February 2020
Mustafa al-Kazemi, the former head of Iraq's security service, is the latest to receive the order to form a government from Iraqi President Barham Saleh. Before him and after the resignation of Adel Abdul-Mahdi's government in early December last year, the efforts of two other people, Mohammad Tawfiq Alavi and Adnan al-Zurufi, to form a government had failed. Mohammad Tawfiq Alavi was unable to gain the support of Kurdish, Sunni and secular Shiite parties due to his proximity to the Islamic Republic. Adnan al-Zarfi's candidacy was also opposed by Shiite groups affiliated with the Islamic Republic. The most important opponent of Adnan al-Zarfi's prime minister was Muqtada al-Sadr. Adnan al-Zarafi had previously played a key role in US forces fighting Muqtada al-Sadr's militias.


Mustafa al-Kazemi receives government order from Barham Saleh; Baghdad, April 9, 2020
Mustafa al-Kazemi, who has relatively extensive ties with the United States and is also working to establish good relations with the Islamic Republic, seems to have been able to gain the support of Kurdish and Sunni parties in addition to the major support of Shiite groups.

"It is very difficult to form a government in Iraq that is not supported by Tehran in the current situation, given the influence of the Islamic Republic," said Qanbar Qanbar, a political activist and American-Iraqi analyst living in Washington, DC. "Of course, the main problem is not the formation of the government or the name of the prime minister, it is the problem of the capabilities of the future government," the Iraqi analyst added. The government will be able to take steps to solve the country's current problems so that it can disarm militant groups and pursue a policy independent of the Islamic Republic. "I don't think al-Kazemi can succeed in this, despite his extensive ties to the United States."


Intifada Kamal Ghanbar, Arab political advisor and analyst
However, some Shiite militia groups, such as Hezbollah, have accused Mustafa al-Kazemi of collaborating with the US military in a missile attack on a car carrying Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes, opposing the formation of a government headed by the former head of the Iraqi Security Service.

In recent days, four paramilitary groups have issued a statement withdrawing from the People's Forces or Hashad al-Shaabi coalition, announcing they will join the Iraqi Armed Forces. Of course, these four organizations (Ansar al-Marja'iyah, Imam Ali, al-Abbas and Ali al-Akbar militant groups) were not among the major organizations of this coalition. In this regard, the Qanbar Intifada states, "The withdrawal of these organizations from the popular mobilization should not be considered as distancing themselves from the Quds Force and the Islamic Republic." This separation is a show of force, although it will somehow strengthen Shiite circles and authorities that do not fully comply with the policies of the Islamic Republic. "The problem of armed groups under the auspices of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps will not be solved until Iraq is freed from the grip of the Islamic Republic."

Of course, Qassem Soleimani's successor, Ismail Qaani, has failed, and according to the Qanbar Intifada, "will never be able to play a decisive role in Iraq because he has never had contact with Iraqi forces and Iraqi forces did not hand him over during his visit to Baghdad." »
The Iraqi analyst believes that "the Islamic Republic has handed over the administration of Iraq and the coordination of the Shiite militias to Muhammad al-Kawthari (a Lebanese Hezbollah commander)." The Qanbar Intifada adds, "Al-Kawtharani was born in Najaf and speaks Arabic with an Iraqi accent. He has been in contact with Iraqi Shiite groups for many years and has a high military capability, as well as being close to Qassem Soleimani. "In other words, he can be the best successor to the former commander of the Quds Force in Iraq and play an important role in coordinating the region's militias."



In early April 2020, the United States set a $ 10 million reward for information leading to the capture of Hezbollah leader. "The decision was made immediately after the confirmation of information about the new role of Mohammad al-Kawthari as Qassim Soleimani's successor in Iraq," the Qanbar Intifada told Kayhan London. "Despite all the care taken by Iraqi paramilitary leaders since the killing of Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes, this award is a very effective incentive to trap this well-known and dangerous terrorist," said the Iraqi analyst. "If the Americans can eliminate Mohammad al-Kawthari, it will be a fatal blow to the Islamic Republic in Iraq."

In recent days, Iraqi protesters have returned to the streets after a period of silence, mainly due to the spread of the coronavirus in various countries, including Iraq. In the southern city of al-Rifa'i, seven people were injured in clashes with militants and security forces. Clashes in Baghdad's Tahrir Square have killed a protester and injured dozens more.

An Iraqi analyst called the return of Iraqi protesters a "warning to Mustafa al-Kazemi." "Al-Kazemi not only needs the support of the parties to succeed, but he must also win the approval of the people, otherwise he will face widespread protests and strikes and will not be able to survive," Ghanbar said. "Reducing oil prices, which is Iraq's only income, and the government's decision to reduce the salaries of its employees, and the economic consequences of the spread of the corona virus, will once again draw people to the streets because the majority of Iraqis are against it," he said. It is believed that the Islamic Republic, with its influence on many political groups, spends part of its oil export revenues on its adventures in the region, including Iraq. "It has already turned Iraqi banks into money launderers