An Iraqi security source told Alhurra on Monday that investigations into the shelling of an Iraqi Intelligence Service building in Baghdad have identified the party responsible and the real motive behind the attack, which killed an officer and triggered angry reactions in the country.
In a statement on March 21, the Iraqi Intelligence Service said a “terrorist” attack carried out by “outlaw groups” took place at around 10 a.m. local time, targeting the vicinity of the National Intelligence Service site in Baghdad and resulting in the death of an officer.
Iraqi authorities usually use the term “outlaw groups” to refer to armed factions loyal to Tehran.
The source, an officer in a sensitive security agency, told Alhurra the attack was carried out by a drone targeting a key building that houses a communications center for the Intelligence Service tasked with tracking drone attacks on the capital and other cities.
The attack came one day after the leak of an audio recording of intelligence officers containing information about the whereabouts of faction leaders and their senior military commanders, according to the officer, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation.
The leaked audio recording, the officer said, indicated that leaders of armed factions had left their offices and main headquarters and were operating from places of worship, such as mosques and Husseiniyas, Shiite congregation halls used for religious gatherings, and raised the question of whether more intelligence could be gathered about them.
On the morning of the following day, the Intelligence Service headquarters in central Baghdad was targeted by a drone launched from a nearby area, the officer said, adding that the investigation concluded that “Kataib Hezbollah” — which the United States designates as a terrorist organization — carried out the attack.
The Iraqi government spokesperson did not respond to Alhurra’s requests for comment on the information.
Although “Kataib Hezbollah” denied responsibility for the attack in a statement issued on March 22, it simultaneously launched an attack on the Iraqi Intelligence Service, accusing its officers of “providing information” to U.S. forces used to carry out strikes against sites belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces.
The Popular Mobilization Forces include a number of paramilitary factions, most of them Shiite, which have been formally integrated into Iraq’s security forces and include several groups loyal to Iran.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani condemned the targeting of the National Intelligence Service, describing the perpetrators as a “cowardly group that has overstepped against state institutions,” and urged political forces to take a “clear and explicit” stance on attacks targeting official institutions.
The Coordination Framework, a Shiite coalition of ruling forces, also condemned the attack, describing it as a “terrorist act that targets the prestige of the state and its security institutions.”
Since the outbreak of the United States-Israel war with Iran on Feb. 28, Iraq has seen attacks by armed factions targeting U.S. interests, Iraqi military sites, as well as energy facilities and civilian airports in Baghdad, Basra and Erbil.
In contrast, sites belonging to those factions have been subjected to airstrikes of unknown origin, with no party claiming responsibility. However, a defense official told Alhurra on March 9 that U.S. forces are carrying out strikes against Iran-backed faction positions in Iraq.
“Kataib Hezbollah” and the “Nujaba” Movement are among the most prominent factions targeting U.S. interests. They have entered the conflict alongside Iran and have carried out dozens of strikes inside and outside Iraq.
The article is a translation of the original Arabic.
