Prominent Iraqi politician says targeting of US troops ‘natural reaction’

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A prominent Shiite politician on Monday said the recent targeting of US troops based in Iraq by a pro-Iran militia group is a “natural reaction” against Washington's support for Israel in Gaza, calling for the withdrawal of American troops from the country. 

US troops have been hit with suicide drones and barrages of rockets in Iraq and Syria by a pro-Iran militia group more than 20 times since October 17, according to the Pentagon.  

Prominent Shiite politician and head of Fatih Alliance Hadi al-Amiri said in a statement on Monday that the Islamic Resistance in Iraq’s assaults on the American troops based in Ain al-Asad and Harir air bases is “a natural reaction to the biased position of the US and some European countries in favor of the usurping Zionist entity in committing war crimes against the people of Gaza.”

Hours after Amiri’s statement the pro-Iran group claimed it carried out another rocket attack against US troops in Ain al-Asad. 

Ain al-Asad is located in Iraq’s western province of Anbar, and Harir air base is in the Kurdistan Region’s capital Erbil. The US troops have also been hit near the Erbil International Airport and in Kurdish-held areas in Syria. 

Amiri, whose ruling party has over 30 seats in the 329-seat legislature, also called for the withdrawal of the US-led global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) forces from Iraq as soon as possible, saying that Baghdad has to set a timeline for the withdrawal.

Iraqi Shiite politicians and militia groups have been outraged by Washinton’s support for Israel in Tel Aviv’s fight against the Hamas Movement in Gaza Strip following a surprise attack by Hamas’ armed wing against Israel on October 7. 

On Monday, about 30 lawmakers called for a parliament to vote on the closure of the US embassy in Baghdad. They need 20 more signatures to officially request a meeting on the issue. 

Iraq’s popular Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Friday called on the Iraqi government and parliament to close the US embassy in protest of Washington’s support for Israel in its war in Gaza. The US has evacuated non-emergency personnel from the embassy and their consulate in Erbil “due to increased security threats against U.S. government personnel and interests.”

At least 21 US personnel received minor injuries in attacks on Iraq’s Ain al-Asad air base and al-Tanf garrison on October 17 and 18, but all have returned to duty, according to the Pentagon. 

One civilian contractor died in the initial attack on US troops at al-Asad air base after suffering a heart attack. Iraqi Defense Minister Thabet al-Abbassi paid a visit to the air base the following day. 
 
The multinational global coalition against ISIS was formed in 2014 to fight the radical group which had controlled swatches of the Syrian and Iraqi territories. The group became fully devoid of territorial control in Iraq 2017. While it lacks any territory, ISIS still continues to pose security risks through abductions, hit-and-run attacks, and bombings. 

The militants have taken shelter in a security vacuum in areas disputed between Erbil and Baghdad, stretching across several provinces including Kirkuk, Salahaddin, and Diyala. 

Kurdish officials have stated that Baghdad and Erbil still need the coalition forces to confront ISIS. 

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani in September last year told a German delegation that “Iraq and the Kurdistan Region continue to need international assistance to eradicate terrorism,” his office stated, adding that ISIS in Iraq and Syria “is still a real threat.” 

However, Amiri argued that “As long as the global coalition forces are present, no one expects to build the military capabilities of the Iraqi army and other security institutions.”