Iraq stresses the urgent importance of regional de-escalation
An Iraqi soldier walks at the Qayyarah air base, where US-led troops in 2017 had helped Iraqis plan out the fight against the Islamic State in nearby Mosul in northern Iraq
Baghdad – Iraqi authorities on Monday condemned the drone attack that killed three US military personnel in Jordan, calling for an “end to the cycle of violence” in the Middle East.
“The Iraqi government condemns the ongoing escalation,” Government Spokesman Bassem Al-Awadi said in a statement, adding that it was willing “to collaborate on establishing fundamental rules to prevent further repercussions in the region and curb the escalation of conflict”.
The attack against Tower 22, a logistics base located at Jordan’s border with Syria, killed three US troops and wounded 34.
It is the highest number of American casualties in a single incident since pro-Iran groups in October escalated their attacks against US and anti-jihadist coalition forces.
“Have no doubt — we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing,” US President Joe Biden said on Sunday as he blamed “radical Iran-backed militant groups” for the attack.
Since mid-October, shortly after the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, there have been more than 150 drone or rocket attacks against US and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria.
The majority have been claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a loose alliance of Iran-linked armed groups that oppose US support for Israel in the Gaza conflict and wants them out of Iraq.
None of the pro-Tehran groups in Iraq, Syria or Yemen has so far claimed responsibility for the drone strike that killed the US soldiers.
But on Sunday the Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed to have launched three drone attacks at bases in Syria, including near the Jordanian border.
US forces have launched numerous strikes targeting pro-Iran militants in Iraq in retaliation for the dozens of attacks on its personnel.
The volatile situation has pushed the Iraqi government to insist on an end to the anti-jihadist coalition on Iraqi territory and a gradual reduction of its staff, and a first round of talks with US officials was held on Saturday.
Condemning the Jordan attack, Iraq’s foreign ministry stressed in a statement late Monday “the importance of regional de-escalation”.
The ministry said it was “necessary” to allow the ongoing negotiations with Washington to play out.
An armed faction of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, Harakat al-Nujaba, said in a statement Monday that the United States should “learn the lesson and leave today… For every day that passes, they will pay a heavy price.”