At least two dead
US attacks pro-Iranian positions in Iraq
January 24, 2024, 3:11 p.m
In response to attacks against its troops, the US has carried out attacks on three installations of pro-Iranian militants in Iraq. According to Iraqi sources, the strike was aimed at Hezbollah brigades. US Secretary of Defense Austin says the US is prepared for further measures.
The US Army attacked pro-Iranian positions in Iraq on Wednesday night. At least two people were killed, according to the Iraqi Interior Ministry and those close to the pro-Iranian Hashed-al-Shaabi network. The Pentagon in Washington said the attacks were a response to attacks against US troops, while the Iraqi government spoke of an “irresponsible escalation”.
According to Iraqi sources, the attacks occurred in the Jurf al-Sakhr region south of Baghdad and in the western Iraqi region of al-Kaim on the border with Syria. The US military strikes led to an “irresponsible escalation at a time when the risk of an expansion of the war in the Gaza Strip” between Israel and the Islamist Hamas threatens the region, said the spokesman for Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, General Jehia Rasul .
Iraqi national security adviser Qassem al-Aaraji called the US actions a “blatant violation of Iraqi sovereignty.” The attacks would “not contribute to calming down,” he explained on the online service
USA reacts to attacks by militias
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said “necessary and proportionate” attacks were carried out on three pro-Iranian facilities in Iraq. It was a “direct response” to a series of attacks on US and allied personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed militias.
According to Iraqi sources, the US attacks were directed against the Hezbollah Brigades, a group linked to the pro-Iranian Hashed al-Shaabi network. The network is an Iran-backed coalition of former paramilitaries that was incorporated into Iraq’s regular army.
The USA did not want an escalation of the conflict in the region, Austin explained. However, the United States is prepared to “take further action to protect our people and our facilities.” The US regional command Central Command (Centcom) said the attacks targeted Hezbollah brigade headquarters, warehouses and training facilities for rockets, missiles and attack drones.
More than 150 attacks on US facilities
Since the war between Israel and the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas began on October 7th, attacks on bases used by the US army in Iraq and Syria have increased significantly. The Pentagon says it has counted more than 150 attacks since mid-October. In response, the US repeatedly attacked positions of pro-Iranian groups in Syria and Iraq.
Around 2,500 US soldiers are stationed in Iraq and 900 in neighboring Syria. The US-led international military coalition in these countries was founded in 2014 to push back the jihadist militia Islamic State (IS). Most recently, Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder stated that the USA does not intend to withdraw from Iraq. This statement is seen as a response to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s demand that the US mission must be ended.