In recent weeks, American restaurants and companies in Baghdad have faced near-daily attacks, with Palestine Street in the Iraqi capital frequently making headlines. A KFC branch, the Chilli House & Lee’s restaurant, and a Cambridge Language Institute branch have all been targeted in recent days, with images and videos of the attacks circulating on social media.
One video, published by the pro-Iranian militia-affiliated Sabrin News Agency, shows security camera footage of attackers entering a restaurant where families are dining and wrecking the place. Another video shows the chaos at Chilli House & Lee's.
The assailants claim they are targeting American businesses and restaurants due to U.S. support for Israel in the Gaza war and a desire to expel American forces from Iraq. Pro-Iranian militias in Iraq are inciting the attackers and participating in these assaults.
Last week, similar attacks occurred shortly after a call by Abu Ali al-Askari, a senior figure in the Iraqi Kataib Hezbollah militia, to boycott and expel "the occupier's spies." The pro-Iranian militias view American forces in Iraq as "occupiers" and label any American company as a spy agency.
Al-Askari stated, "We have a legal and moral duty to participate in the boycott and expulsion of the occupier's spies, who are hiding under civilian titles. We must not give them freedom to operate in our country." He urged Iraq's security services to support the masses working to expel Americans and to refuse to comply with American directives.
For a long time, pro-Iranian militias have demanded that the Iraqi government expel the American coalition from the country, expressing dissatisfaction with the lack of progress on this issue. Recently, they have also threatened to resume attacks on American bases in Iraq, after having paused to see if the Iraqi government would facilitate the Americans' departure. The Iraqi government continues its efforts in negotiations with the U.S.
Following the attacks on American interests in Baghdad, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Alina Romanowski called on the Iraqi government to conduct a thorough investigation and prevent future assaults on restaurants in the city. She warned that such attacks would harm Iraq's ability to attract foreign investment.
American goods are piling up in stores, regardless of price cuts. According to Sabrin News Agency, religious leaders have also joined the calls for a boycott, with cleric Ali al-Sistani issuing a fatwa (religious decree) urging the boycott of companies supporting Israel. Some opponents of the violence against American restaurants stress the importance of remembering that the employees are Iraqi.