Iraq (Washington Insider Magazine)—On Monday, The U.S. military conducted a retaliatory attack in Iraq. This development came after a one-way drone attack earlier in the day by Iran-backed militants. That attacks left one U.S. service member in a critical state and injured two other U.S. personnel, officials stated.
The back-and-forth conflict was the latest manifestation of how the Israel-Hamas war is intensifying across the Middle East. It is causing turmoil that has diverted U.S. soldiers at bases in Iraq and Syria into targets.
The US move killed one member of the Iraqi security forces and injured 18 people. It includes civilians, the government in Baghdad spoke on Tuesday, naming them an “unacceptable attack on Iraqi sovereignty” that would “harm bilateral relations.”
Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria resist Israel’s campaign in Gaza and hold the United States partly accountable.
At President Joe Biden’s recommendation, the U.S. military conducted the strikes in Iraq at 1:45 GMT, probably killing “some Kataib Hezbollah militants” and eliminating multiple structures used by the group, the U.S. military stated.
“These strikes are intended to hold accountable those elements directly responsible for attacks on coalition forces in Iraq and Syria and degrade their ability to continue attacks. We will always protect our forces,” declared General Michael Erik Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command, in a statement.
On Monday, A U.S. base in Iraq’s Erbil that accommodates U.S. forces came under aggression from a one-way drone. It led to the latest U.S. casualties.
The base has been constantly attacked. Reuters reported on another effective drone attack in October on the barracks at the Erbil base on Oct. 26. It infiltrated U.S. air defenses but failed to explode.
The Pentagon did not reveal details about the identity of the service member. He was critically harmed or presented more information about the injuries upheld in the attack. It also did not show how this drone emerged to infiltrate the base’s air defenses.
“My prayers are with the brave Americans who were injured,” U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed in a statement.
US forces have frequently hit areas used by Iran and its backed proxy forces in Iraq and Syria. The White House National Security Council conveyed that Biden was reported on the attack on Monday. He instructed the Pentagon to prepare reply prospects against those accountable.
“The President places no higher priority than protecting American personnel serving in harm’s way. The United States will act at a time and in a manner of our choosing should these attacks continue,” NSC spokesperson Adrienne Watson spoke.
Still, it is unclear if the latest U.S. retaliation will prevent future moves against U.S. forces. US Forces are stationed in Iraq and Syria to contain a revival of Islamic State militants.
Since the Israel-Hamas war began in October, The U.S. military has already come under attack at least 100 times in Iraq and Syria. The attack teams were equipped with rockets and one-way attack drones.
Earlier in December, The U.S. embassy building in Baghdad also came under mortar fire. It was the first time it had been bombarded in more than a year, in a substantial escalation.
The latest turmoil came less than a week after Austin returned from a Middle East trip. He concentrated on preventing efforts by Iran-aligned groups to enlarge the Israel-Hamas war. That includes developing a U.S.-led maritime coalition to safeguard Red Sea commerce. It followed a series of drone and missile raids against commercial ships by Houthi militants in Yemen.
On Thursday, The Pentagon stated that more than 20 countries have agreed to join the new U.S.-led alliance. It is called Operation Prosperity Guardian.
On the other hand, Palestinian officials declare that more than 20,674 people have died and 54,536 injured in Israeli raids since October 7. The modified death toll from Hamas’s aggression stands at 1,139.
