US urges Iraq to protect US forces after fresh assaults
US soldiers clearing rubble at Ain Al-Asad military airbase in the western Iraqi governorate of Anbar (Dec 2023). Photo: AFP
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Following unsuccessful attacks by Iran-aligned militias, the US military urged the Iraqi government on Tuesday to take action to protect US forces stationed in both Iraq and Syria.
The drone and missile strikes were the first of their kind after nearly three months of practically daily attacks, which resulted in the deaths of three US soldiers at the Tower 22 outpost in Jordan in January.
A top Iranian commander had urged the militias to cease their assaults at the end of January due to rising tensions between the United States and Iran following the incident in Jordan and some calls for a direct American reaction against Iran from Republican politicians in Washington, according to Reuters.
“These attacks put coalition and Iraqi personnel at risk,” the spokesperson of the US Department of Defense, Major General Patrick Ryder, said in a press briefing.
“We call on the government of Iraq to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of US forces in Iraq and Syria against attacks from these groups,” Ryder stated.
“If these attacks continue, we will not hesitate to defend our forces, as we have done in the past,” Ryder added.
Washington has already accused Iran of arming and financing militias in Syria and Iraq that target US soldiers.