MESOP NEWS PORTRAIT : THE IRANIAN MASTERMIND IN KURDISTAN – QASSEM SOLEIMANI

Survey Conducted on US Presence, Role of Qassem Soleimani in Iraq – Basnews English – 09/11/2017 –  ERBIL — A survey has been conducted in the Shi’ite militia-controlled cities in Iraq regarding the presence of the US military in the country and the role of Qassem Soleimani in supporting the Iraqi army.

It is not clear what party has organized the survey which has asked the people in Najaf, Karbala and Kirkuk questions about the presence of US troops in Iraq.A part of the survey which the participants need to answer using the Likert scale is “It seems that the continued presence of the United States in the region, especially in Iraq, will cause us to witness a deterioration in security as well as many political and economic problems.”

The Shi’ite militias, particularly Asaib Ahl al-Haq, has repeatedly warned the US to leave Iraq.

Another question on the survey was about the role of Iran’s Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani in Iraq.“In your opinion, to what extent was the role of Commander Haj Qassem Soleimani fruitful in increasing the military capacity and the formation of political space in Iraq?”

Soleimani has been playing an effective role in Iraq and Syria in leading the Shi’ite militias. Most recently, Soleimani managed to convince a number of officials from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) to hand over the Province of Kirkuk to the Iran-backed Hashd al-Shaabi militia and Iraqi army. According to Hashd al-Shaabi’s spokesperson Ahmad al-Asadi, Soleimani is the advisor to the Iraqi government in Baghdad. www.mesop.de