Newspaper: US punitive measures against Iraqi political figures, including leaders of law and Fatah

Newspaper: US punitive measures against Iraqi political figures, including leaders of law and Fatah

2019/11/23 16:33

Newspaper - US punitive measures against Iraqi political figures including leaders of law and Fatah[Baghdad-Where]
The London-based Arab newspaper, on Saturday, the United States intends to take punitive measures against Iraqi political figures, on the back of its involvement in the use of lethal force to quell mass protests launched in early October last year.

The newspaper quoted informed sources in Baghdad as saying, today (November 23, 2019), that “Washington is also considering punishing Iraqi figures of the first political line, on charges of corruption and violation of human rights.”

“There are two lists that may be issued by the US Treasury Department soon, including the names of five Iraqi figures, which will be covered by financial sanctions in accordance with laws in force in the United States.”

The sources pointed out that “the new US sanctions, will be extended to three prominent Iraqi figures, closely linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.”

“Abujahad al-Hashemi, director of the office of Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi, put his name at the top of the list of punished figures,” she said.

Fog has surrounded the fate of al-Hashemi since the beginning of this month, after the leaked office of Abdul-Mahdi news of his resignation, and the appointment of Qais al-Amiri, close to Faleh al-Fayyad, head of the Popular Mobilization Authority, in his position.

Western media reports describe al-Hashemi as the de facto prime minister in Iraq since the formation of Abdul Mahdi’s government, stressing that he chose the most important pillars, while other sources said that “Abu Jihad is the financial coordinator of the activities of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in Iraq, which includes investments of billions of dollars in the areas of housing, recreation, tourism and materials Food. ”

These sources confirm that the decision to resign al-Hashemi was a formality, to suggest to the public that it is far from the office of Abdul-Mahdi when the list of sanctions to the public.

The second figure, who sources say will be on the sanctions list, is Hossein Faleh, known as Abu Zainab al-Lami, the head of the PMU’s private security service, who is known as “the personal companion of senior Revolutionary Guards general Qasem Soleimani inside Iraq.”

The third person under US sanctions is Ahmed al-Asadi, a member of the Fatah bloc and leader of the faction of the Jund al-Imam Brigades, which is part of the PMU.

“These figures were directly involved in coordinating sniping, killing, wounding, arresting and abducting thousands of demonstrators, activists and journalists in various parts of the country where protests have been going on since the beginning of last month,” the sources were quoted as saying.

The sources point to the existence of US financial sanctions against another list, including the names of “high caliber” in Iraq, such as the leader of the coalition of law Nuri al-Maliki and the leader of the Alliance of Hadi al-Ameri.

The sanctions against al-Maliki and al-Amiri related to corruption and human rights violations, while the sources confirm that the United States is considering putting the name of the head of the Popular Mobilization Commission, Faleh al-Fayyad, on the same list of leaders of the state of law and Fatah on similar charges.

Such sanctions would impose complex financial constraints on the movement of funds for persons listed in the Regulations.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said earlier that the US administration will not stand idly by as corrupt officials make the Iraqi people suffer. ”

The United States will impose sanctions on corrupt figures who steal the wealth of the Iraqi people,” he said.

alliraqnews.com