US strikes an Iraqi militia supported by Iran

The US has used its military to attack three places in Iraq where an Iran-supported group was operating.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the attacks targeted the Kataib Hezbollah militia group and other groups affiliated with Iran.

He said the accurate attacks were a direct response to the attacks on US and coalition allies in Iraq and Syria.

However, a high-ranking Iraqi official said that they were a clear breach of Iraq’s independence.

Iraq’s top security official, Qassem al-Aaraji, said that the US attacks did not make the situation peaceful.

He wrote on X, previously known as Twitter, that the US should push for a stop to the Israeli attacks in Gaza instead of bombing the bases of an Iraqi national group.

He was talking about the group of former fighters supported by Iran called the Popular Mobilisation force, which is now part of the regular military.

Last week, some US soldiers got hurt in a missile attack on an airbase in western Iraq.

US officials said they are getting checked for head injuries.

The US military’s CentCom said that a group supported by Iran attacked the Al Asad airbase, where American troops are stationed, using missiles and rockets.

A group called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq said it was responsible for the attack.

The group started in late 2023 and is made up of a few armed groups connected to Iran that are working in Iraq. It has said it did other attacks on US soldiers in the last few weeks.

In a statement, Mr Austin said he was impressed by the professionalism of the US military in carrying out the recent attacks in Iraq as part of the ongoing effort to weaken ISIS.

Mr Austin said that he and President Biden will do what is needed to protect America’s interests.

We don’t want to make the problems in the area worse. We are ready to do whatever it takes to keep our people and buildings safe. “We ask these groups and their Iranian supporters to stop these attacks right away,” he said.

In another announcement, CentCom said the attacks happened at 00:15 local time (21:15 GMT Tuesday). This was a response to the attack on the Al Asad airbase in western Iraq on 20 January, among other attacks.

“The strikes hit Kataib Hezbollah’s headquarters, where they keep their rockets, missiles, and drones for attacks,” said CentCom.

Kataib Hezbollah is a strong group of fighters in Iraq who follow the Shia Islamic religion. They get money and weapons from Iran.

It is thought to have close connections with Iran’s Quds Force, the branch of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps that operates outside the country.

Since 2009, the US has said the group is a terrorist organization. They say the group has attacked US and Iraqi forces in Iraq for Iran and has made Iraq less peaceful and stable.

The US military didn’t say where they attacked Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq.

The attack on Al Asad airbase happened on Saturday after a US drone strike in Baghdad earlier this month that killed a leader of a pro-Iran militia.

American soldiers in Iraq and Syria have been attacked many times by groups supported by Iran since the conflict between Israel and Gaza began in October.

The US military and its friends, like the UK, have stepped in to stop Houthi missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea.

The governments of Washington and London have bombed the Houthis, a rebel group in Yemen that is supported by Iran.

On Wednesday, CentCom said the US military attacked two Houthi anti-ship missiles that were aimed at the southern Red Sea and ready to be launched.

“American soldiers found missiles in parts of Yemen controlled by the Houthi group. They decided that the missiles were a serious danger to ships that carry goods and to American warships in that area. ” The US military destroyed the missiles to protect themselves.

The Iranian army launched several missile attacks in the past week in Syria, Iraq, and Pakistan.

On Saturday, Iran said Israel bombed a place in Syria’s capital city, Damascus. The bombing killed five important members of Iran’s security forces.