US strikes Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia in Iraq

The operation was described by the Pentagon as a "defensive" and comes after repeated rocket attacks on US and coalition bases

Breaking News.
Powered by automated translation

The US military has carried out "defensive strikes" in Iraq and Syria against the Kataib Hezbollah militia.

The Pentagon said in a statement it had targeted three locations of the Iranian-backed Shiite militia group in Iraq and two in Syria.

"In response to repeated Kataib Hizbollah attacks on Iraqi bases that host Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) coalition forces, US forces have conducted precision defensive strikes ... that will degrade KH's ability to conduct future attacks against OIR coalition forces," chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in the statement.

A US civilian contractor was killed on Friday in a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base near the oil-rich city of Kirkuk and a US official had said it was looking into the possible Kataib Hezbollah involvement.

This is a developing story...