Thursday, March 12, 2020

US Strikes Iran-Backed Militia That Hit Iraq Base

 An Iranian flag is pictured next to missiles during a war exhibition to mark the anniversary of the Iran-Iraq war at Baharestan square near the Iranian Parliament in southern Tehran
Article by Greg Price in "The Daily Caller":


U.S. forces in Iraq launched airstrikes Thursday against Iranian-backed Shia militia members believed to be responsible for Wednesday’s rocket attack on Camp Taji, north of Baghdad, that killed two Americans and one British service member while wounding fifteen more.


Officials said that the strikes targeted Kataib Hezbollah weapons facilities inside Iraq and were jointly conducted with British forces.
The Pentagon released a statement confirming that the strikes were conducted in response to the rocket attacks on Wednesday:

“Earlier this evening, the United States conducted defensive precision strikes against Kata’ib Hizbollah (KH) facilities across Iraq,” the statement said. “These strikes targeted five weapon storage facilities to significantly degrade their ability to conduct future attacks against Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) coalition forces. These weapons storage facilities include facilities that housed weapons used to target U.S. and coalition troops.”

“These strikes were defensive, proportional, and in direct response to the threat posed by Iranian-backed Shia militia groups (SMG) who continue to attack bases hosting OIR coalition forces,” the Pentagon added.

The strikes mark a rapid escalation in tensions with Tehran and its proxy groups in Iraq. They come just two months after Iran carried out a ballistic missile attack against American troops at the Al-Asad air base in Iraq in response to the U.S. killing of Iranian terrorist leader Qassem Soleimani.

https://dailycaller.com/2020/03/12/us-strikes-iran-backed-militia-hit-iraq-base/