Iraq’s national security advisor Qassam Al-Araji has indicated that the presence of the Israeli spy agency Mossad in Iraq’s Kurdistan region cannot be discounted.
The Iraqi government is actively seeking information on Mossad’s activities within Iraq, he says.
Al-Araji’s comments were made during an interview with Iraq’s Al-Ahed television channel, referencing Iran’s January missile attack on a facility near Erbil, which Tehran identified as a Mossad center.
Al-Araji acknowledged the possibility of “the presence of individuals with foreign passports from European countries who are collaborating with Mossad in Erbil.”
In January, he had claimed the targeted facility was not a Mossad headquarters, a conclusion he reached after personally inspecting the site.
At the time, Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) stated that their attack was aimed at a gathering of Israeli agents in a residence owned by Kurdish oil magnate Peshraw Dizayee.
Al-Araji told Al-Ahed that he had conveyed the findings of the investigation into the attack to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani.
Iran has voiced concern for years that Western intelligence services, primarily those of the US and Israel, have intensified their anti-Iran operations based in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.
‘No need for foreign forces’
In his remarks, the Iraqi politician also addressed the presence of American troops in Iraq, affirming that the Arab government is resolutely working to conclude the mission of the US-led coalition in the country.
Al-Araji emphasized that Iraq does not require foreign military presence on its soil. He said the nation’s security forces are fully equipped to handle security challenges.
However, he said the government requires additional time to negotiate the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq.
Presently, Iraq is engaged in discussions with Washington to terminate the coalition’s presence.
These talks were initiated in January to reevaluate the US-led coalition’s role in Iraq, following a series of American strikes against the anti-terrorism Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), which form part of Iraq’s security apparatus.
In 2020, Iraq enacted legislation to expel foreign troops, a move prompted by the US assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and PMF’s Deputy Commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
