This is popular front a podcast focus on the very niche and kind of geeky

details of Modern Warfare with me Jake Hanrahan. First of all, Happy New Year 2020, let's go.

This episode we're speaking to Mustafa Salim, a journalist with the Washington Post.

He's going to be telling us about the US

embassy siege that has happened over yesterday and today where members of

Kataab Hezbollah and Iran-backed militia operating inside Iraq

have surrounded the US embassy, got into the place within the green zone,

and attacked the base basically surrounding it.

There's a lot going on there so my stuff is going to explain exactly what's been

happening he's been there on the ground so you know he knows what's what

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Maybe you can take us back to the start really and explain you know why this siege has happened in the first place because it's not like it just came out of nowhere you know what I mean?

I know well we should go way way back the tension between we should first we should be

Accurate those people are not the same people who are in Tahir Square. I mean there are some demonstrations

in Tahir Square since October 1st. These are anti-Iran demonstrations. Those people are different.

Those people are the people who are a supporter of the Shia militias who are basically against those people in Tahir Square.

The tension between those people and the Americans is going way way back because most of them are backed by Iran

loyal to Iran funded by Iran and started with the tension between the US and Iran.

It was increased recently when the Iraqi Party started in October

because it was anti-Iran demonstrations,

and those people saw it as American conspiracy to

...