Iraq describes US attacks on military positions as ‘hostile act’
Date
12/26/2023 8:32:36 AM
(MENAFN) On Tuesday, Iraq condemned US airstrikes within the country as a "hostile act," responding to the Pentagon's announcement that it had targeted three locations utilized by pro-Iran forces in retaliation to incoming fire.
The government expressed that the airstrikes, resulting in the death of one security force member and injuries to 24 others, including civilians, were deemed an "unacceptable attack on Iraqi sovereignty," causing harm to bilateral relations.
An Iraqi interior Ministry official reported that the airstrikes targeted a Hashed Al-Shaabi site in the central city of Hilla, one of the two locations in Babylon province. In Hilla, one person was killed and 20 were wounded.
Another strike in the southern province of Wassit resulted in four injuries. This information was corroborated by two security sources in Babylon and Wassit provinces.
Earlier, the United States confirmed that its forces conducted strikes on three sites used by pro-Iran groups in Iraq, responding to a series of attacks on US personnel.
The US has frequently targeted locations used by Iran and its proxy forces in Iraq and Syria in response to numerous attacks on American and allied forces in the region since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7.
“US military forces conducted necessary and proportionate strikes on three facilities used by Kataeb Hezbollah and affiliated groups in Iraq,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated in a declaration.
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