U.S. informs Iraq before hitting Iranian-backed targets
Qamishli, Syria (North Press) – The White House said on Friday the United States informed the Iraqi government prior to launching airstrikes against Iranian-backed militias, after an Iraqi official condemned the strikes.
Yahya Rasool, Iraqi military spokesman, condemned the airstrikes launched by the U.S., saying they violate Iraq’s sovereignty, “undermine the efforts of the Iraqi government, and pose a threat that could lead Iraq and the region into dire consequences.”
He warned that these attacks will result in “severe implications on the security and stability in Iraq and the surrounding region.”
On the other hand, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told journalists, “We did inform the Iraqi government” in advance.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted on Friday at 4 pm airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Quds Force and affiliated militia groups.
The targeted facilities included command and control operations centers, intelligence centers, rockets, and missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicle storages, and logistics and munition supply chain facilities of Iranian-backed militias that facilitated attacks on U.S. and Global Coalition troops.
The strikes come in response to a drone attack that targeted U.S. Tower 22 base in Jordan near the Syrian border late in January that killed three American troops and injured over 40 others.