Chicago – December 26, 2023
The Iraqi government has criticized US military air strikes on its soil as “hostile acts” after the Pentagon said it targeted places used by pro-Iran militias to target US personnel.
According to the governance in Baghdad, the US strikes killed one member of the Iraqi security forces and injured 18 people, including civilians. They were an “unacceptable attack on Iraqi sovereignty” that would “harm bilateral relations.”
The US air attacks, which began early Tuesday, targeted three sites utilized by Kataib Hezbollah, a Shia armed group, and its associates, according to US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson.
According to Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, the strikes were in retaliation to a Kataib Hezbollah attack the day before on Erbil airbase, which injured three US servicemen, one gravely.
Austin stated that the strikes were “necessary and proportionate” to “disrupt and degrade” the capabilities of Iran-aligned forces responsible for attacks on US personnel.
The raids are the latest example of how Israel’s assault in Gaza is rippling across the Middle East, where there is considerable concern over the growing number of Palestinian deaths.
