The US military on Thursday struck a base in eastern Baghdad used by Iran-backed armed groups, killing a commander who had conducted attacks on American forces in Iraq and Syria, the Pentagon said.
The strike hit a site used as a logistics headquarters by the 12th Brigade of Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces, an umbrella group of predominantly Shiite militias backed by Iran.
Among those killed was Mushtaq Jawad Kazim Al Jawari, who was a senior member of the Harakat Al Nujaba militia, one of the militias in the PMF.
“Abu Taqwa was actively involved in planning and carrying out attacks against American personnel,” Pentagon Press Secretary Maj Gen Pat Ryder told reporters.
“The strike also killed one other [Harakat Al Nujaba] member. It is important to note that this strike was taken in self-defence, that no civilians were harmed and no infrastructure or facilities were struck.”
At least six other militants were injured in at least two explosions, security officials and militia leaders reported.
Video published on militia-linked social media accounts and TV stations showed charred and twisted remains of a car in the headquarters near the Interior Ministry.
The target of the attack was a vehicle containing Abu Taqwa.
“The US is continuing to take action to protect our forces in Iraq and Syria by addressing the threats they face,” a US official told The National.
Militia leaders also said the US carried out the attack and said those killed were “senior leaders”, in a public statement.
The Iraqi government criticised the US-led International Coalition, formed in 2014 to fight ISIS, for conducting the attack.
Military spokesman Maj Gen Yahya Rasool said in a statement that the attack “is a flagrant and alarming aggression on the sovereignty of Iraq”.
“It is no different from terrorist acts,” Maj Gen Rasool said.
“Iraqi armed forces hold the International Coalition troops responsible for this unjustified attack against an Iraqi security apparatus operating under powers given by the Commander in Chief,” he added.
The latest development “undermines all understandings between the Iraqi armed forces and the International Coalition”, he added.
“We consider this targeting a dangerous escalation and an assault on Iraq and away from the mandate given to the International Coalition in Iraq,” he said.
Maj Gen Ryder said Iraq is an “important and valued partner”.
“Our forces are there at the invitation of the government of Iraq to help train and advise and support of the Defeat ISIS mission. And so as we have been doing all along, we will continue to consult closely with the Iraqi government about the safety and security of US forces,” he said.
He added that the US maintains its “inherent right of self-defence and will take necessary action to protect our personnel”.
Iraq's Foreign Ministry condemned the “aggression”, saying the country “reserves its right to take a firm stance and take all measures that deter anyone who tries to harm its land and security forces”.
The PMF's 12th Brigade is linked to Al Nujaba, or Harakat Hezbollah Al Nujaba, one of several groups accused of attacking US troops in Iraq and Syria.
The group is supported by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force, which provides weapons and training for militias in Iraq.
It was established in 2013 and has militants in Iraq and Syria.
Iran-backed militias have increased drone and rocket attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria, citing Washington's support for Israel in the Gaza war.
The US has responded with a series of strikes that have killed more than a dozen in Iraq and Syria.
This attack was the first to be carried out during the day.
The US has 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq to advise and assist local forces to prevent a resurgence of ISIS, which in 2014 seized vast areas of the countries.
Since the extremist group was defeated in 2017, pro-Tehran militias and political parties have called for US troops to be expelled.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani said last week that his government was working to end the presence of foreign troops from the US-led coalition.
