On Feb. 26, Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker and Counterterrorism Coordinator Ambassador Nathan Sales discussed a terrorist designation relating to Iranian proxies in Iraq:
Assistant Secretary Schenker: Today, Secretary Pompeo has taken decisive action against Iran-backed militias in Iraq by designating Ahmad al-Hamidawi as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist or SDGT.
Hamidawi is the secretary-general of Kata’ib Hizballah, or KH, a group that is responsible for numerous terrorist attacks against U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq. That includes the December 2019 attack by rockets on an air base near Kirkuk that killed American Nawres Hamid.
The State Department designated KH as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and as an SDGT in 2009 for attacking American troops and our allies. Today, we are intensifying our pressure on this terrorist group. KH remains actively engaged in plotting terrorism against U.S. forces, our partners, and innocent Iraqi civilians. By committing violence at the behest of its patrons in Tehran, KH has revealed its true agenda: undermining Iraq’s sovereignty and independence.
Here are just a few recent examples. After the United States acted to defend itself against continuous rocket attacks on our military bases and diplomatic facilities, KH and other Iran-backed terrorists stormed our embassy in Baghdad before being repelled by American forces.
That wasn’t the first time KH stormed a diplomatic post. They also attacked Bahrain’s embassy in Iraq in June of last year. KH even targets the people it purports to represent, Iraqis. It actively uses violence and terror against innocent civilians to advance the Iranian regime’s goal of turning Iraq into a vassal state. In October of 2019, KH was involved in sniper attacks against peaceful protesters in Baghdad which killed more than 100 people and injured another 6,000. And when Iraqi President Barham Salih met with President Trump in Davos last month, KH took to the airwaves to demand Salih’s resignation with a veiled threat against his life.
Ahmad al-Hamidawai is the leader of this group, and today the United States is holding him accountable for these crimes. Today’s action will target sources of support for Hamidawi and KH and deny them the resources they need to plan and carry out future attacks.
I also want to emphasize that today’s designation was enabled by President Trump’s expansion of Executive Order 13224 last September, the most significant update to our terrorism sanctions authority since the aftermath of 9/11. Thanks to these changes, we are now able to directly designate the leaders of terrorist groups without having to tie them to specific acts.
The United States will continue to expose If you’re a woman who is always wondering if female enhancement products work, it’s time to stop as most of the side effects have fatal endings. levitra discounts Nowadays, impotency among men and dryness among cheap levitra 20mg right here women is crippling our society. Curing fatigue, preventing depression and improving blood circulation throughout tadalafil mastercard valsonindia.com the body. It is as safe as the purchase levitra is. levitra named as Kamagra sells at $ 1.00 per pill. and isolate terrorists, deny them access to the U.S. and international financial systems, and do everything in our power to preserve the security of the United States.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY SCHENKER: Good afternoon. As Nathan just said, today the Secretary of State is designating Ahmad al-Hamidawi, the secretary-general of Kata’ib Hizballah. His organization also shares in the responsibility for the brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters in Iraq. They are foot soldiers in the Iranian regime’s export of terrorism, corruption, and bribery to Iraq.
The action today continues the U.S. efforts to hold accountable those who present a clear and present danger to both our people and the Iraqi people. In January, the Secretary designated Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorist and Qais and Laith Khazali as SDGTs. Additionally, in December, Treasury designated the Khazali brothers and Husayn Falih al-Lami for their involvement in serious human rights abuses in Iraq. Additionally, OFAC designated Iraqi politician Khamis al-Khanjar for bribing government officials and engaging in widespread corruption at the expense of the Iraqi people.
What I want to emphasize today is how this terrorist, his organization, along with the Khazalis and other terrorists, drain the life and vitality out of Iraq. They kill and maim Iraqis and seek to brutally silence or impede any efforts Iraqis make to reform their government. According to the UN, over 600 Iraqis have been killed while protesting for better governance and a brighter future.
The Secretary has communicated to Iraq’s political leaders, some of whom I met with personally last week, that the U.S. stands with the Iraqis who are fed up with economic stagnation, endemic corruption, and mismanagement. They want better from their leaders, and they want accountability.
They’re demanding their country back.
The U.S. Government continues to support Iraq’s security, stability, and sovereignty. As the Secretary has said on many occasions, we are a force for good. In Iraq, we’re the largest donor of humanitarian, stabilization, demining, and security assistance, and we want to maintain and expand that role to include helping with economic reform to create jobs for Iraqis and Americans alike. In contrast to Hamidawi and those offering brutality and repression, we offer an unparalleled partnership for the Iraqi people.
DARIA NOVAK served in the United States State Department during the Reagan Administration, and currently is on the Board of the American Analysis of News and Media Inc., which publishes usagovpolicy.com and the New York Analysis of Policy and Government. Each Saturday, she presents key updates on U.S. foreign policy from the State Department.
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