Iraq to deal with US strikes as hostile acts
The Spokesperson for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Major General Yehia Rasoul. Photo: Etidal
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi cabinet announced its rejection of the US strikes in Iraq, stressing that they undermine years of cooperation between the two countries.
The Spokesperson for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Major General Yehia Rasoul, said in a statement that the United States, in a clear determination to undermine security and stability in Iraq, launched once again air strikes against sites of Iraqi military units and the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in areas in Babylon and Anbar governorates, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA).
Rasoul called on the international community to take responsibility for maintaining peace and security and stopping any violations that endanger Iraq’s stability and sovereignty. He confirmed that the US is increasingly acting aggressively against Iraqi territory and national sovereignty, which is unacceptable and unjustified.
According to the Iraqi official, Iraq will deal with these activities as acts of aggression and will take all necessary measures to protect the lives and dignity of its citizens on its secure territory.
An Iraqi security source reported on Wednesday that two members of the PMF were killed and three others were injured in a US air strike that targeted the PMF’s headquarters in Babylon and Anbar.
The US Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, said in a statement that the US military forces carried out attacks against three sites utilized by the Iranian-backed Kataeb Hezbollah militia and other parties with connections to Iran in Iraq.
Austin explained that the strikes are a direct reaction to a string of intensifying attacks by Iranian-backed militias on US and coalition forces.
The attacks, according to the US Central Command, which conducts operations in the Middle East, targeted Kataeb Hezbollah’s headquarters, storage, and training facilities.
Since the Israel-Gaza conflict began in October, there have been over 150 attacks on US forces stationed in Syria and Iraq by militants with ties to Iran.