Iraq vows legal action after US-led coalition airstrike
Seven months after the parliamentary elections held in Iraq on October 10, 2021, the failure to form a government has brought the country to the brink of a serious crisis, Iraq, May 12, 2022 (AA Photo)
Iraq announced Wednesday that it will take legal and diplomatic measures in response to a U.S.-led coalition airstrike on a security site in Babil province.
Military spokesman Yehia Rasool condemned the airstrike as a “heinous crime” and “blatant aggression” in an official statement.
Casualties were reported in the attack, which hit a security site of the pro-government Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) in Babil province.
Rasool emphasized that the attack happened “despite extensive efforts through political and diplomatic channels and the higher military commission, which have made significant progress in ending the presence and operations of the Global Coalition Against Daesh/ISIS in Iraq.”
He cautioned that the attack “could greatly undermine all efforts, mechanisms and frameworks for joint security work to combat Daesh/ISIS in Iraq and Syria.”
“Iraq will take the necessary legal and diplomatic actions to protect its rights, ensure its security and sovereignty, and safeguard its territory,” Rasool stated, without providing further specifics.
A U.S. defense official, speaking anonymously, told Anadolu on Tuesday that the United States conducted a “defensive airstrike” against “combatants” in Babil.
The official said U.S. forces conducted the strike in Musayyib, Babil province, targeting “combatants attempting to launch one-way attack uncrewed aerial systems (OWAUAS).”
Tensions in the Middle East have risen after Israel’s severe retaliation against the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.
The situation has led to U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria being attacked by Iran-backed groups, while Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis continue to attack commercial ships in the Red Sea.
