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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An Iraqi government spokesperson on Saturday condemned the “blatant aggression” of the United States and said that regional security is on the “brink of the abyss” hours after the US hit several militia targets in Iraq in retaliation for a recent deadly attack on American troops in Jordan. At least 16 people were killed in the airstrikes, according to the spokesperson.
US forces “committed a new aggression against the sovereignty of Iraq” after hitting several security locations and civilian sites in Akashat and Qaim districts of southern Anbar province, Basim al-Awadi, spokesperson for the Iraqi government, said in a statement.
“This blatant aggression led to 16 martyrs, including civilians, in addition to 25 wounded. It also caused losses and damage to residential buildings and citizens’ property,” noted Awadi.
The head of logistics for the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi in Arabic), Abbas al-Daraji, is among the dead, an Iraqi source told Rudaw.
The Hashd said in a statement that the US strikes killed 16 and injured 36, adding that several of its military bases were hit
“This aggressive strike will put security in Iraq and the region on the brink of the abyss, and it also contradicts efforts to establish the required stability,” Awadi warned.
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that Washington had “informed” Baghdad prior to carrying out the attacks, AFP reported.
The Iraqi government spokesperson denied they were informed in advance.
“The American side then deliberately deceived and falsified the facts by announcing prior coordination to commit this aggression, which is a false claim aimed at misleading international public opinion and disavowing legal responsibility for this rejected crime in accordance with all international laws and laws,” he stated.
Washington began a large-scale retaliation campaign on Friday night against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) - Quds Force and affiliated militia groups in Iraq and Syria, striking more than 85 targets with over 125 precision munitions, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM). President Joe Biden said more strikes will be forthcoming.
American troops and bases in Iraq and Syria have come under more than 165 rocket and drone attacks since mid-October by Iranian-backed Iraqi militia groups condemning Washington’s support for Israel in its war against the Gaza Strip, according to the latest tally from the Pentagon.
Around 2,500 American troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria are leading an international coalition through Operation Inherent Resolve that has assisted Kurdish, Iraqi, and local Syrian forces in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS), which once held swathes of land in Iraq and Syria but was declared territorially defeated in 2019.
The Syrian defense ministry on Saturday said a number of its soldiers as well as some civilians were killed during the overnight airstrikes in the east of the country, state media reported.
Updated at 3:40 pm
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