US envoy voices anger at attacks on Western-linked brands in Baghdad

The United States has cried four over recent attacks on Western brands and companies in Baghdad, as anger grows across West Asia over Israel’s war on the besieged Gaza Strip. 

"We condemn recent violent attacks against US and international businesses," the US ambassador to Baghdad, Alina Romanowski, said on social media platform X.

She urged the Iraqi government to "conduct a thorough investigation, and prevent future attacks". The US diplomat claimed that "these attacks could weaken Iraq's ability to attract foreign investment". 

American and British companies in Baghdad have been the target of a series of attacks in recent days, with the American company Caterpillar and the British Cambridge Institute targeted with explosives.

Iraqi security forces said a stun bomb exploded at 1:20 a.m. Thursday in front of a dealership of US construction equipment company Caterpillar in the Jadriyah neighborhood of Baghdad.

Ten minutes later, a blast went off in front of the Cambridge Institute in nearby Palestine Street.

The attacks came days after branches of popular American fast food restaurant KFC in Baghdad were targeted.

A number of Western businesses in Muslim countries have been subject to boycott calls over their links to Israel, particularly slashing the earnings of many popular chains including McDonald’s and Starbucks.

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Pro-Palestine boycotts

Since the onset of the US-Israeli war on Gaza calls to boycott Israeli goods and companies complicit in the regime's crimes, or affiliated with the regime, have been getting louder on social media.

Two of the companies, Starbucks and McDonald's, have become the focus of people's anger due to their support for the Israeli regime and military forces.

Starbucks suffered billions of dollars in losses and has been forced to cut its annual sales forecast.

The company has admitted that its sales in West Asia struggled, but boycotts also hurt its outlets across the United States.

McDonald's is also feeling the pinch of the boycott, as it has reported its first quarterly sales miss in nearly four years.

Other American multinational companies, including Burger King, KFC, and Pizza Hut, as well as brands such as Coca Cola Pepsi, Puma, and Zara - that are overtly pro-Israel or have financial ties with Israel and investments there - have also come under fire and faced boycott calls.

The boycotts are in response to Israel’s deadly military campaign against the besieged Palestinian territory which has killed over 36,200, mostly women and children.

Israel's relentless shelling and artillery fire continue to claim more Palestinian lives. On Thursday, dozens of Palestinians were killed in new Israeli strikes on the southern Gazan city of Rafah amid fierce street battles between resistance fighters and regime forces.

Iraq is a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause and has on several occasions condemned the lack of global support for justice for Palestinians.

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