Iraqi militias target KFC and other US businesses to protest Gaza war

BAGHDAD The elite Iraqi counterterrorism force that helped defeat the Islamic State is back patrolling the streets of Baghdad, but this time it has a new mission: protecting American restaurant franchises from angry vandals. war in Gaza.

In recent weeks, attackers have targeted several American and American-style food chains as part of an economic boycott of brands they say help finance Israeli military actions in Gaza. The attacks, including those carried out by masked men on branches of KFC and Lees Famous Recipe Chicken, began in late May after Iran-backed Shiite militias called on their supporters to protest against the businesses.

The militias, according to their statement, reject the use of Iraqi territory for investment projects from which they claim the profits are returned to Israel and its armed forces. The United States is Israel's closest ally and main supplier of weapons and aid, but much of that aid comes from the government.

Iraq responded to the unrest by deploying U.S.-trained counterterrorism units to Baghdad to guard against more violence, analysts say, both to reassure foreign investors and to signal to powerful pro-Iran groups that government forces are in control.

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It feels strange to be deployed to protect a restaurant, said Ali, 23, a member of the Anti-Terrorism Service now stationed in the bustling Karrada neighborhood in central Baghdad, where several international franchises are located.

We are special forces, not bodyguards, he said, speaking on condition that he be identified only by his first name because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Targeting American brands as a way to protest American foreign policy is common in the Middle East and around the world. When the war between Israel and Hamas broke out in the fall and a McDonald's franchise in Israel announced it would provide free meals to soldiers, several branches of the chain were vandalized in Egypt, Lebanon and Turkey .

In Iraq, suspects also threw sound bombs at a language institute and an office of Caterpillar Inc., the U.S. construction equipment maker that supplies the Israeli army with armored bulldozers. Small protests took place outside the offices of PepsiCo and Procter & Gamble in Baghdad, the Associated Press reported.

We are a group of people from this nation who have protested against U.S. interests, said one participant, a member of the Iran-backed group Kataib Hezbollah, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he helped carry out attacks. We will continue the boycott until all American interests are closed.

Shiite militias loyal to Iran hold significant political and military power in Iraq and have long opposed the U.S. military presence here and in the region. The United States has approximately 2,500 American troops and personnel in Iraq to advise and assist local security forces.

Earlier this year, militias operating under the umbrella of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for a drone attack that killed three U.S. service members in neighboring Jordan. After the United States retaliated, killing a senior Kataib Hezbollah commander in central Baghdad in February, the militias backed away from targeting American facilities.

But few expected them to set their sights on the burger and fried chicken restaurants popular with the capital's Iraqis.

It was a normal weeknight in Baghdad last month when chaos first broke out at a new KFC branch on Palestine Street. Dozens of people, wearing masks and armed with sticks, descended on the establishment, breaking windows, throwing chairs and destroying kitchen equipment as customers hid or fled.

Salam Abdul Karim, a 43-year-old engineer, was having dinner with his family at the time. He said his 8-year-old daughter was facing the door when the attackers entered.

Once she saw them, she got scared and told me to look behind me, he said. For a few seconds, I didn't know what to do. Then I immediately told my wife that we had to leave, because they started destroying the restaurant equipment.

Nearby security forces fired warning shots into the air to disperse the crowd. No employees or customers were physically injured. But similar attacks also took place at branches of Lees Famous Recipe Chicken and Jordanian Chili House, an American-style hamburger chain.

The owners of the three Baghdad-based establishments declined to comment for security reasons.

What happened in Baghdad was a clear attempt to send the message that they still have power, Hamid al-Sayid, an independent politician, said of the militias, adding that the message is aimed at leaders of Baghdad and Tehran.

The Interior Ministry said it had apprehended suspects believed to be involved in the attacks. And the Security Media Cell, an official security news agency, called the attacks a desperate attempt to destabilize the country and damage its reputation.

But the government's response has largely been to target only low-ranking militia members, without targeting high-ranking networks, said Iraqi academic Akeel Abbas.

The biggest loser in this equation is the Prime Minister because what is happening is the opposite of the message he is trying to convey in attracting investment, he said.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has sought to diversify the economy, which depends largely on oil revenues, and attract U.S. and foreign capital to Iraq.

In a May 30 statement, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Alina L. Romanowski condemned recent violent attacks on U.S. and international businesses.

These attacks endanger Iraqi lives and property and could weaken Iraq's ability to attract foreign investment, she wrote on X.

For retired Major General Ahmed al-Taie, now a security analyst, Sudan's decision to deploy the counterterrorism service was both a sign of the strength of the militias and the government's willingness to do everything what it takes to impose the law.

Anti-terrorist fighters like Ali are now present at every major intersection in Baghdad. But the violence has left many business owners on edge.

Zain Mohammed owns a cafe in Baghdad. My coffee shop is right next to Skechers and I'm afraid they will destroy that too when they raid it, he said.

Some restaurants with foreign-sounding names have been quick to issue statements clarifying that they are local businesses with no ties to American companies.

We would like to announce that our restaurant is a pure Iraqi brand, wrote the fast food chain Ghost Burger on its Facebook page. And has no connection with any foreign company.

correction

A previous version of this article misidentified the group under which the Iraqi militias operate. This is the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, not the Islamic State. The article has been corrected.

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