Iraq threatens to expel US troops after strike in Baghdad

Iraq on Thursday blamed the United States for recent attacks on Iraqi territory, saying the military invasion brings Baghdad closer to forcing American troops out of the country.

Yahya Rasool, a spokesman for Iraq’s top military commander, accused the US of what it called a “blatant assassination” of an Iranian-backed militia leader in the “heart of a residential area” in Baghdad.

Rasul said the United States had “zero regard for civilian lives or international law.”

“By this act, the U.S. military endangers civil peace, violates Iraq’s sovereignty, and shows disregard for the safety and lives of its people.” Rasool said in a statement:.

The United States carried out airstrikes on Wednesday night local time, killing a senior Iranian-backed militia leader and two other officials. The commander, who is with Iran’s proxy Kataib Hezbollah, is said to have participated in planning operations for a late January attack that killed three U.S. soldiers at a base in Jordan.

The United States has been fighting Iranian-backed militias since October, with U.S. forces hit more than 160 times in Iraq, Syria and Jordan. Additionally, there have been more than 30 attacks on U.S. forces and commercial ships by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi movement in the Red Sea.

Repeated U.S. strikes, including strikes on more than 85 targets in Iraq and Syria last week in response to deaths at a Jordanian base, have failed to deter Iranian proxies from continuing their attacks. . Support for Israel’s war in Gaza.

But the fighting has strained relations with Baghdad, where about 2,500 U.S. troops are stationed fighting the Islamic extremist group ISIS.

Iraq fears being drawn into war again and considers U.S. attacks on its militias also a security threat. Many Iranian-backed militias serve under the Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella organization that is officially part of Iraq’s security. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani also works closely with these groups.

Last month, Iraq and the United States began talks about the future of the fight against ISIS and the role of the U.S. military in Iraq, with bilateral dialogue expected to begin before fighting the Iranian-backed group. However, ongoing tensions with Iran’s proxies are expected to be a major part of the discussion.

Iraqi Spokesman Rasul on Thursday laid out a stronger policy, saying the government was moving closer to ousting the United States. “What is even more worrying is that the Union has consistently strayed from the reasons and objectives for its presence on our territory,” he said.

“This course is forcing the Iraqi government more than ever before to end this coalition’s mission. It is becoming a destabilizing factor and threatens to drag Iraq into a cycle of conflict,” Rasool said. Stated.