A US ‘defensive’ strike in Iraq kills four people
American forces launched a “defensive” air strike on combatants attempting to launch drones that were judged a threat to US and allied soldiers, according to a US official.
The hit, which Iraqi authorities say killed at least four people, was the first by American forces in Iraq since February, when the US military claimed to have killed a pro-Iran leader involved in attacks on Iraqi troops.
“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 US defense official said on condition of anonymity, adding that the Central Command assessed the drones “posed a threat to US and coalition forces.”
“We retain the inherent right to self-defense and will not hesitate to take appropriate action,” the official stressed.
The Hashed al-Shaabi, an alliance of pro-Iran former paramilitary organizations that have been integrated into Iraq’s security services, previously stated that apparent missile attacks killed four persons at a base in Babylon, but made no mention of an effort to fire drones from the ground.
The Hashed reported that two patrols were attacked with drone-fired missiles.
According to an alliance official, “four people were killed and others were critically wounded in blasts that hit a base belonging to the Hashed al-Shaabi”.
A security source confirmed that four individuals were killed, with the death toll anticipated to grow.
– Two recent strikes on US and ally forces in Iraq.
Several rockets were launched last week targeting the Ain al-Assad camp, which houses troops from the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State jihadist group, according to officials.
On July 16, two drones were launched into the same facility, with one “successfully destroyed” and the other hitting the base, causing “minimal damage,” according to the Pentagon.
Prior to it, American forces in Iraq and Syria had not been targeted since April. However, assaults on them were significantly more regular in the first two months of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, with over 175 targets.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a loose alliance of Iran-backed militias, claimed responsibility for the majority of the attacks, citing sympathy with Palestinians in Gaza.
In January, a drone attack blamed on those organizations killed three US soldiers at a Jordanian facility. In retaliation, US forces unleashed hundreds of airstrikes against Tehran-backed fighters.Since then, attacks on US troops have virtually stopped.Baghdad has sought to ease tensions by holding talks with Washington about the future of the US-led coalition’s operation in Iraq.
The United States military has approximately 2,500 personnel in Iraq and 900 in Syria.
In 2014, the coalition was deployed to Iraq at the request of the government to confront the Islamic State group, which had taken over huge areas of Iraq and nearby Syria.
IS remnants continue to carry out assaults and ambushes in both countries.
AFP
