The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced this Monday that its forces killed five pro-Iran militiamen in Iraq on Sunday “in self-defense” who were “preparing to launch a drone” against their positions, amid a spike in tension. between armed groups and US troops in the Arab country.
The note added that coalition forces “responded in self-defense with a US unmanned aerial system, killing five militiamen and destroying the drone,” an action that was notified to Iraqi authorities, who have accused Washington of carrying out attacks in their territory without their consent.
“The United States will continue to defend itself against attacks on US and coalition personnel,” CENTCOM stated. The US response came a day after Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al Sudani conveyed to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken his rejection of “any attack on Iraqi territory” by Washington.
The pro-Iran militia group Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced yesterday that five of its members were killed in a US attack, after the armed group resumed its attacks against US positions. in the country after the end of the truce in the Gaza Strip, to which it joined.
Subsequently, the armed group claimed responsibility for two attacks against bases with a US presence in Iraq and Syria, actions that they have repeated since the war broke out in Gaza on October 7, due to Washington's “unwavering” support for Israel.
These actions have left dozens of people injured and have caused damage to US facilities, but although Washington has hit back in Syria, in Iraq, a country with which it maintains strategic relations, it has only responded once before.
On November 21, an AC-130 military plane fired at a vehicle belonging to members of the Kataib Hezbollah militia, also part of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, and killed at least eight militiamen accused of launching a short-range ballistic missile against a base with an American presence.
The Iraqi Government then described the US response as “unacceptable” and accused Washington of “violating” Iraq's sovereignty by not informing the authorities about the action in advance.