The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On November 1, 2023, Akram Al-Kaabi, Secretary-General of the Iran-backed Iraqi Shi'ite Al-Nujaba Movement militia, published[1] an official statement on his X (formerly Twitter) account, asserting that the "Iraqi Islamic resistance" has decided to "militarily liberate Iraq," essentially declaring war against U.S. forces in Iraq.
The statement reads: "In the Name of Allah—the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful. It was not you [believers] who killed them, but it was Allah Who did so. Nor was it you [O Prophet] who threw [a handful of sand at the disbelievers], but it was Allah Who did so, rendering the believers a great favor. Surely Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing [Quran 8:17]. Indeed, Allah Almighty spoke the truth. The Iraqi Islamic resistance has decided to militarily liberate Iraq and settle the matter. What is to come will be grandiose. Blessed are the heroic mujahideen, blessed are the participants, blessed are the supporters. Victory for Islam. No stopping, no truce, no retreat." The statement was accompanied by the hashtag #Al-Aqsa_Flood.
On October 23, Al-Nujaba published a statement strongly criticizing an Iraqi government condemnation of attacks against U.S. barracks in Iraq, calling to expel the "American occupation" and prosecute its supporters.[2] On October 30, Al-Nujaba published a video threatening attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq, in light of the Israel-Hamas war and the U.S. upgraded support of Israel.[3]
[1] Twitter, November 1, 2023.
[2] See MEMRI JTTM report: Iraqi Shi'ite Movement Strongly Criticizes Iraqi Government Condemnation Of Attacks Against U.S. Barracks In Iraq, October 26, 2023.
[3] Telegram, October 30, 2023. See MEMRI JTTM report: Iraq's Al-Nujaba Movement In Video: CENTCOM Forces 'Are Not Out Of Our Range'; Vows To Expel Americans, 'Repeat History', October 30, 2023.
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