ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United Kingdom has appointed Irfan Siddiq as its new ambassador to Baghdad, transferring incumbent Stephen Hitchen to another post, a move the British foreign ministry called “routine” on Tuesday. “Mr Irfan Siddiq OBE has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Iraq in succession to Mr Stephen Hitchen. This was a routine change,” the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s News Desk told Rudaw English late Tuesday in response to an email about the appointment. Siddiq, who is serving as the British High Commissioner to Cyprus, said in a post on X earlier on Tuesday that he was “delighted to be returning to a country which had a huge impact on my formative years as a diplomat and so has a special place in my heart.” He served as the deputy head of the British mission in Baghdad from 2010 to 2011. “The UK remains committed to helping Iraq achieve its goals and we continue to push for a strong, stable and unified Iraq, which is able to stand up for its own interests in the region,” the FCDO told Rudaw on Tuesday. Hitchen, who was appointed as the top British diplomat in Iraq in July 2023, will be transferred to another diplomatic appointment and his replacement will assume that post in March, the FCDO announced in a statement on Monday. Hitchen has been critical of the security situation in Iraq, routinely engaging in English and Arabic on social media to discuss a range of topics in the country. During an episode of Rudaw’s Bestoon Talk that was broadcast in August, Hitchen touched on the issues that arise from incorporating militias such as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi) into the Iraqi security apparatus. “The challenge for the Iraqi government is how to deal with the militias,” said the diplomat, “the decision to bring the militias into the government is logical, but if a PMF member receives salaries they must also accept commands.” Days later, he faced backlash on social media for his comments. In late-August, the Iraqi government handed him a protest note for remarks which Baghdad deemed as “interference” in the country’s internal affairs without specifying the comments. The PMF was formed when a group of militias responded to a call-to-arms from revered Shiite cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani to stand against the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2014. While the force has been officially incorporated into the Iraqi security apparatus, militias within their ranks operate outside of Baghdad’s control and receive support from Iran.
