Middle East on 'brink of the abyss' warns Iraq as 16 killed in US strikes
The Iraqi government has warned that the US is sending the Middle East to "the brink of the abyss" jeopardizing stability efforts, following strikes by the US against militia based in the country that resulted in 16 deaths.
Bahgdad said that there were civilians among the dead in the strikes near the Syrian border and that 25 people were injured, while there was also "significant damage" to homes and private properties. Iraq’s foreign ministry announced Saturday it would summon the US embassy’s chargé d’affaires — the ambassador being outside of the country — to deliver a formal protest over US strikes on "Iraqi military and civilian sites."
The air assault was the opening salvo of US retaliation for a drone strike that killed three US troops in Jordan last weekend. The US has blamed that strike on the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Iranian-backed militias.
READ MORE: US strikes targets in Syria in revenge attack after deaths of three troops in drone bombing
US President Joe Biden attends the dignified transfer of the remains of three US service members killed in the drone attack on the US military outpost in Jordan (AFP via Getty Images)The full statement by Basim Alawadi, a spokesperson for the Iraqi government, read: "The American administration has carried out a new act of aggression against Iraq's sovereignty as American aircraft bombed locations in Akashat and Al-Qa'im, where our security forces are stationed, alongside nearby civilian areas.
Jake Paul calls on John Fury to make retirement bet for fight with son Tommy
"This blatant aggression, caused the loss of 16 martyrs, including civilians, and 25 individuals sustaining injuries and resulted in damage to residential buildings and citizens' property.
"The American side intentionally engaged in deception and distortion of facts, stating coordination with Iraqi authorities—an unfounded claim crafted to mislead international public opinion and evade legal responsibility for this condemned crime according to international laws and principles.
"This aggressive airstrike will push the security situation in Iraq and the region to the brink of the abyss, jeopardizing the efforts of establishing stability.
US warplanes carried out an airstrike on the headquarters of Hashd al-Shaabi in Al-Qa'im city of Anbar, Iraq (Anadolu via Getty Images)"We assert that the presence of the international coalition, which deviated from its assigned tasks and mandate, has become a reason for endangering security and stability in Iraq. It also serves as a justification for entangling Iraq in regional and international conflicts."
A US official said Saturday that an initial battle damage assessment showed the US had struck each of its planned targets in addition to a few "dynamic targets" that popped up as the mission unfolded, including a surface-to-air missile site and drone launch sites. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details that were not yet public, did not yet have a casualty assessment.
Alawadi said some of the US strikes targeted facilities belonging to the Population Mobilisation Forces (PMF), a coalition of Iranian-backed militias that was officially brought under the umbrella of the Iraqi armed forces after it joined the fight against the Islamic State in 2014. In practice, it continues to operate largely outside of state control.
People survey the damage in Anbar, Iraq, following a US airstrike (Anadolu via Getty Images)The PMF said in a statement on Saturday that one of the sites targeted was an official security headquarters of the group. In addition to the 16 killed, it said 36 had been wounded, "while the search is still ongoing for the bodies of a number of the missing."
The Iraqi government has been in a delicate position since a group of Iranian-backed Iraqi militias calling itself Islamic Resistance in Iraq - many of whose members are also part of the PMF - began launching attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria on October 18. The group described the strikes as retaliation for Washington's support for Israel in the war in Gaza.
Iraqi officials have attempted behind the scenes to rein the militias in, while also condemning US retaliatory strikes as a violation of the country's sovereignty and calling for an exit of the 2,500 US troops in the country as part of an international coalition to fight IS. Last month, Iraqi and US military officials launched formal talks to wind down the coalition's presence, a process that will likely take years.
One of the main Iran-backed militias, Kataib Hezbollah, said it was suspending attacks on American troops following Sunday's strike that killed the U.S. troops in Jordan, to avoid "embarrassing" the Iraqi government.
Loved-up Brits can now marry in Las Vegas style express weddings - but in Dubai
For all the latest news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US
Iran, meanwhile, has attempted to distance itself from the attack, saying that the militias act independently of its direction. Hussein al-Mosawi, spokesperson for Harakat al-Nujaba, one of the main Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, in an interview with The Associated Press said Washington "must understand that every action elicits a reaction." But he then struck a more conciliatory tone, saying that "we do not wish to escalate or widen regional tensions."
Mossawi said the targeted sites in Iraq were mainly "devoid of fighters and military personnel at the time of the attack." Syrian state media reported that there were casualties from the strikes but did not give a number. Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said that 23 people were killed in the Syria strikes, all rank-and-file fighters.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
