Iraq militia chief threatens Trump's envoy

Akram Al Kaabi, leader of Iran-backed group, accuses Baghdad-born Mark Savaya of 'betraying his country'

Mark Savaya was appointed special envoy to Iraq by US President Donald Trump. Photo: Mark Savaya / Instagram

An Iraqi militia leader on Wednesday issued a threat against Donald Trump's envoy in Baghdad, accusing the US of meddling in Iraq's affairs.

Akram Al Kaabi, head of Al Nujaba Movement, described Baghdad-born envoy Mark Savaya as a "traitor" to the country of his birth. He said Mr Savaya was "rolling up his sleeves to steal the wealth of his country and put them in the hands of his American master".

Al Kaabi added: "Know that if you do not silence him, the Islamic Resistance will put a stone in his mouth and return him to his masters who enslaved him, so he betrayed his country and was not loyal to it."

Al Kaabi and his militia are designated terrorists by the US government, which considers them an "Iranian proxy group". Al Kaabi has been under sanction since 2008 for carrying out attacks against US-led forces in Iraq.

His statement on Wednesday accused Mr Savaya of "blatant interventions" in Iraqi affairs. After taking up his role as special envoy in October, Mr Savaya said there was "no place for armed groups operating outside the authority of the state".

The envoy also said the US “will not accept or permit any outside interference" in shaping Iraq's new government after a general election last month. He did not immediately respond to Al Kaaba's threat.

Mr Savaya is a businessman who owns Leaf and Bud, a chain of marijuana shops in Michigan – where the drug is legal. Before his appointment, his foreign policy credentials apparently included helping secure the release Russian-Israeli hostage Elizabeth Tsurkov by Kataib Hezbollah, another militia.

Iraqi leaders are under pressure to ensure the departure of US troops from the country after the territorial defeat of ISIS. A timetable agreed last year provides for American forces to leave Iraq next year.

Al Kaaba's threat came on the day the US formally opened its vast new consulate in Erbil, capital of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq. US troops will continue operating from Kurdistan until next year to support operations against extremists in neighbouring Syria.