Kataeb Hezbollah new security chief demands all foreign soldiers leave Iraq — calls US presence root cause of instability

Kataeb Hezbollah's new security chief Abou Moujahed al-Assaf issued a statement demanding that every foreign soldier leave Iraq, framing the US military presence as the root cause of instability in the country. 'Iraq's instability is due to the malicious American presence, and security will not be achieved until the last foreign soldier leaves Iraqi territory,' al-Assaf said. The statement comes on Day 18, the same day drones and rockets attacked the US Embassy in Baghdad — an attack attributed to Iran-backed militias including the Islamic Resistance in Iraq umbrella of which Kataeb Hezbollah is part. Al-Assaf's emergence as new security chief also confirms leadership transition within the group following the earlier killing of Abu Ali al-Askari, Kataeb Hezbollah's previous security commander. Kataeb Hezbollah is designated a terrorist organization by the United States.