USA kills five pro-Iranian fighters in Iraq
Close to the Kurdish region in Iraq, the US military attacks pro-Iranian militias with a drone and apparently kills five fighters. The government in Baghdad had previously protested against such actions.
At least five pro-Iranian fighters have been killed in an airstrike in northern Iraq. According to security and defense circles in Baghdad, a drone attacked a position of the al-Nujaba group in the Dibis area near the border to the autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq. According to US military sources, a "self-defense attack" on a drone launch site near the city of Kirkuk was carried out against "an imminent threat".
The al-Nujaba group is linked to the pro-Iranian Hashed al-Shaabi network, a coalition of former paramilitaries that has been incorporated into Iraq's regular army.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a loose coalition of armed groups linked to Hashed al-Shaabi, said "five martyrs" had been killed in fighting with "American occupation forces in Iraq". The Iraqi police reported "debris, apparently from a drone".
Iraq's head of government resents US military actions
According to the office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, the head of government had pointed out in a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken the previous day that Baghdad rejects "any attacks on Iraqi territory".
Since the brutal attack on Israel by the radical Islamic group Hamas, dozens of US soldiers have been injured in a series of attacks on US military bases in Syria and Iraq. Washington blames Iranian-backed forces for the attacks. In response, the USA has already attacked positions of pro-Iranian groups in Syria on several occasions.
Around 900 US soldiers are stationed in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq. The US-led military coalition in these countries is intended to help prevent a resurgence of the jihadist militia Islamic State (IS).
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Hezbollah, a prominent pro-Iranian militant group based in Lebanon, has frequently been accused of aiding Iran in its conflicts with Israel. In the context of the Israel-Gaza conflict, Israel has often targeted Hamas, which is supported by Hezbollah and Iran.
Given the recent US attack on pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, there have been concerns about potential retaliations from these groups, including Hezbollah and its allies. If such retaliation were to target Israel or Israeli interests, it could escalate tensions in the already volatile Middle East region.
Source: www.ntv.de
