Security expert Ahmed Breesem outlined today, Thursday, the reasons behind the attacks targeting restaurants and foreign educational centers in Baghdad over the past 48 hours. Breesem stated in an interview with "Baghdad Today" that "Iraq is affected by the ongoing regional and international conflicts in the Middle East, and there is indeed an escalation that surfaces from time to time, amid the presence of parties operating under external influences, aiming to carry out illegal acts here and there to convey specific messages."
He added that "the Iraqi state rejects any attempts of targeting in Baghdad and other provinces and seeks, through its security agencies, to uncover the identity of those behind the recent Baghdad attacks and aims to control them; however, it appears to be systematic and occurring according to frameworks targeting specific centers, most of which are American."
He pointed out that "it cannot be ruled out that part of the recent attacks is an attempt by some parties to prove their loyalty to their funders," noting that "the Iraqi situation is continuously subject to external interventions, which is something no two can disagree on, thus becoming a battlefield for resolving conflicts." He emphasized that "security agencies are currently working to uncover the identity of those who carried out the recent attacks, and perhaps if they are brought down, many cards will be revealed."
In recent days, three American restaurants in Baghdad were attacked within 24 hours using bombs and explosive devices, or assaults by armed individuals, in what seems to be an organized operation whose objectives remain unclear. The "KFC" restaurant, part of the famous American chain, was attacked last Sunday morning with an explosive device that detonated in front of the exterior door, before security forces announced the arrest of the perpetrators without disclosing the motives.
