American media’s biased coverage of the Iraqi popular forces during the parliamentary elections.
The New York Times wrote today: After the US occupation and years of sectarian violence, Iraq has unexpectedly become a relatively peaceful place in the Middle East. In Baghdad, election campaigns are scattered throughout urban spaces, and political announcements are seen with slogans promising “strength and prosperity.”
The American newspaper claimed that behind the Iraqi elections is the complex and sensitive issue of how to reduce or contain Iran’s extensive influence in the country. In recent years, a group of powerful militias linked to Iran has gained political influence in Iraq. These mainly Shiite groups were formed in the form of the “Popular Mobilization Forces” to counter ISIS in 2014, and some of them are supported by Iran.
Although Iraqi Prime Minister Shia al-Sudani has secured a commitment to phase out the roughly 1,300 US troops stationed in the country by September 2026, US officials are negotiating to keep them, claiming that this is necessary to fight the remnants of ISIS.
According to the newspaper, which is close to the Democrats, the US government has announced that it may no longer tolerate the presence of such forces. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently warned about the “urgency of disarming the popular forces in Iraq”. Mark Sawaya, Trump’s newly appointed envoy to Iraq, also conveyed and emphasized this idea in a message to Iraqis before the elections.
According to the report, Iraqi politicians expect Sawaya to not only want to elect a prime minister who is aligned with the US, but also to call for a cabinet without the presence of parties aligned with these popular forces.