Iraq backtracks after Hezbollah and Houthis listed as terror groups |
Iraq’s Committee for Freezing Terrorists’ Funds said Thursday that it would correct an official list of designated terrorist organizations following furor from pro-Iran figures in the country over the inclusion of Hezbollah and the Houthis.
Both groups, based in Lebanon and Yemen, respectively, are backed by Iran and seek Israel’s destruction. Iran has vast influence over policies in neighboring Iraq.
The committee said in a statement carried by Iraq’s state news agency that Baghdad had approved a list of “entities and individuals associated with ISIS and Al-Qaeda” that will have their funds frozen following a request by the government of Malaysia. Most of the groups and people on the list were from Southeast Asia.
“Other entities’ names were included due to the list being published before undergoing revision,” the statement said, without naming either Hezbollah or the Houthis. “The Iraqi Gazette will be corrected with the removal of entities and parties from the list of entities associated with the terrorist organizations ISIS and Al-Qaeda.”
Afterward, the office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani repeated those claims in its own statement on the state news agency. The premier’s office also announced an investigation “to determine responsibility and hold accountable those responsible for the error.”
The premier’s statement also affirmed that Iraq’s position “on the aggression against our people in........