Daily US Times, Baghdad: Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi has condemned the US airstrikes which killed at least 25 Iranian-backed Iraqi militia members.
The attack took place on Sunday.
Citing this as a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty, Mr Mahdi said that his country would jow review its relationship with the US.
US forces targeted the Kataib Hezbollah militia in relation for several attacks in the Iraqi bases which are now used by the US military.
The Iraqi PM’s office released a fierce statement after the attack which said ‘The prime minister described the American attack on the Iraqi armed forces as an unacceptable vicious assault that will have dangerous consequences’.
Mr Mahdi also told that he tried to inform the militia members about the impending airstrike.
The statement said, ‘American forces acted on their political priorities, not those of the Iraqis, and that such strikes ‘violate the sovereignty of Iraq’.
The incident ‘force Iraq to review its relations and its security, political and legal framework to protect its sovereignty’, it added.
Iraqi foreign ministry said in a tweet that the US ambassador in Baghdad would also be summoned to discuss the matter.
The tweet also includes Iraq will not ‘be allowed to be a battlefield, a passage to carry out attacks, or a place [to be used] to harm neighbouring countries’.
Washington accused Iraq of failing to ‘protect’ US interest in the country. A senior US state department official told reporters in Washington Iraqi government have been warned by the US many times and they have shared information with them to try to work with them to carry out their responsibility to protect us as their invited guests.
In recent weeks, several attacks targeted to Iraq bases where US troops and civilians were present. The US blamed pro-Iran factions for these attacks.
Sunday’s airstrikes in Iraq and Syria were the response from US side for the killing of a US civilian contractor.
Officials have said the US was prepared to take further actions to deter attacks by Iranian proxies
Kataib Hezbollah that receives financial and military support from Iran is a powerful Iraqi Shia militia.
