US Conducts "Defensive" Airstrike in Iraq, Causing Four Deaths
US Conducts “Defensive” Airstrike in Iraq, Causing Four Deaths
A US defense official declared, “We maintain the inherent right to self-defense and will not hesitate to take appropriate action.”
Iraq’s Baghdad: According to a US official, combatants who were attempting to launch drones that were thought to pose a threat to US and allied soldiers were struck by American forces in a “defensive” aerial strike.
The hit, the first by US forces in Iraq since February, when the US military claimed to have killed a pro-Iranian commander involved in attacks against the nation’s troops, was reported by Iraqi sources to have left at least four individuals dead.
Under condition of anonymity, a US defense official stated, “Tonight, US forces in Iraq conducted a defensive air strike” in Babylon province “targeting combatants attempting to launch one-way attack uncrewed aerial systems.” The official further stated that the drones were deemed a threat by Central Command to both US and coalition forces.
“We maintain the inherent right to self-defence and will not hesitate to take appropriate action,” said the official.
An alliance of former pro-Iranian paramilitary groups known as Hashed al-Shaabi, which has been incorporated into Iraq’s security forces, had earlier claimed that four persons had died as a result of suspected missile attacks at a base near Babylon; however, they made no mention of any attempt to fire drones from the ground.
The Hashed released a statement stating, “Available information suggests that two patrols… were targeted with missiles fired from drones.”
“Four people were killed and others were critically wounded in blasts that hit a base belonging to the Hashed al-Shaabi,” an alliance official told AFP.
Four fatalities were confirmed by a security source, who also stated that the death toll anticipated to increase.
Attacks that happen again
Two recent strikes in Iraq have targeted US and coalition personnel.
According to sources, a number of rockets were fired in the direction of the US-led coalition’s Ain al-Assad facility, which is home to US forces fighting the extremist Islamic State group, last week.
Furthermore, the Pentagon reported that on July 16, two drones were launched in the direction of the same facility; one of them was “successfully destroyed,” and the other struck the base with “minimal damage.”
Furthermore, the Pentagon reported that on July 16, two drones were launched in the direction of the same facility; one of them was “successfully destroyed,” and the other struck the base with “minimal damage.”
That was the first time since April that US forces in Syria and Iraq had been attacked. However, during the first several months of the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, they were the subject of more than 175 assaults, which was far more frequent.
Claiming to be in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, the majority of the attacks were claimed by the loose coalition of groups backed by Iran in Iraq, known as the Islamic Resistance.
Three US soldiers were killed in a drone strike at a base in Jordan in January, which was attributed to those groups. US forces responded by carrying out many strikes on fighters supported by Tehran.
Attacks against US troops have essentially stopped since that time.
By holding discussions with Washington over the future of the US-led coalition’s role in Iraq, Baghdad has attempted to alleviate tensions.
There are about 2,500 US military personnel in Iraq and 900 in Syria.
In order to assist in fighting the Islamic State group, which had taken over large portions of both Iraq and neighboring Syria, the coalition was sent to Iraq in 2014 at the government’s request.
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In both nations, IS relics continue to launch ambushes and attacks.
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