The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On July 25, 2023, Al-Faqaar, a Telegram channel linked to the Iraqi militia Zulfiqar Forces backed by Iran, released a poster depicting Qassim Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis in military uniforms, standing over the U.S. Capitol Building in flames.[1]
The poster's text reads in Arabic: "The heat that is in the hearts will not go cold until the last soldier."
In recent weeks, the Zulfiqar Forces have repeatedly threatened to annihilate U.S. forces in Iraq as well as their Iraqi "collaborators."[2] On July 9, the group published a series of posts warning that it is planning "significant action" using an "undisclosed weapon" that will replace Katyusha rockets. The group also posted threats against Israelis in Iraq, after news was released about the abduction of Israeli researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov in Baghdad.
In another Telegram post on July 14, lashing out at U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Alina Romanowski, the group declared that it would not stop its military activity, but work "night and day to expel you from the region." It warned the Americans that the young jihadists were preparing surprises for them and would "crush your heads, Allah willing."[3]
On July 24, the channel shared a screenshot of the abovementioned July 10 MEMRI report with an Arabic translation of its title, and commented: "This makes you and us even more proud, men of Allah."[4]
[1] Telegram, July 25, 2023.
[2] See MEMRI JTTM Report: Iran-Backed Zulfiqar Forces In Iraq Threatens To Use Undisclosed Weapon To 'Annihilate' U.S., Israeli 'Occupiers'; Pledges Allegiance To Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei, July 10, 2023.
[3] See MEMRI JTTM Report: Iran-Backed Shi'ite Groups In Iraq Vow To Continue Targeting U.S. Forces; Growing Efforts To Form Iraqi Basij, July 18, 2023.
[4] Telegram, July 24, 2023.
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