US strikes hit Iran-backed militia in Iraq and Syria
The US struck five Kataib Hezbollah targets in Iraq and Syria in response to recent attacks on its personnel in bases in Iraq, the Department of Defence said yesterday.
Kataib Hezbollah has “strong links” with Iran’s Quds Force and “has repeatedly received lethal aid and other support from Iran that it has used to attack [Operation Inherent Resolve] coalition forces”, said
Jonathan Hoffman, assistant to the Secretary of Defence.
Operation Inherent Resolve is the American-led coalition to fight ISIS.
One US civilian contractor was killed and four American soldiers were wounded on Friday in a rocket attack on a joint base in Kirkuk.
The US said yesterday that the targets hit were three Kataib Hezbollah sites in Iraq and two in Syria, including weapon storage facilities “and command and control locations that Kataib Hezbollah uses to plan and execute attacks on coalition forces”.
The US said that if Iran and their proxy forces do not stop their attacks there could be additional actions by its forces.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo previously blamed Iranian proxies in the country for an attack at a joint facility in Baghdad on December 9.
No group claimed responsibility for the Kirkuk base attack but US officials told Reuters they were looking into the “possible involvement” of Kataib Hezbollah. The group is led by Iraqi-Iranian Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis, a leader with the Popular Mobilisation Forces who once worked with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps in opposition to Saddam Hussein. They have long been sanctioned by the US as a terror group.
US Defence Secretary Mark Esper expressed concern to outgoing Prime Minister Adel
Abdul Mahdi about the attacks on bases in Iraq where US troops and materiel might be.
Mr Esper and Mr Abdul Mahdi shared with each other their commitment to see Kataib Hezbollah attacks on internal security forces and coalition forces cease once and for all, the defence department said.
US forces remain in Iraq and Syria to stop ISIS as it attempts to regain a foothold.
Iraqi protesters threatened to create chaos as the death toll from anti-government demonstrations neared 500 and scores of people remained missing.
The threat came as the semi-official Human Rights Commission confirmed that 490 protesters lost their lives in the uprising, including 33 activists killed in targeted attacks.
“The death toll includes 15 members of the security forces,” Ali Al Bayati, a member of the commission, told The National. “The total number of abductions has amounted to 68; 12 of them have been released and fate of the others remains unknown.”
The Human Rights Commission pushed the government to form a committee within the Interior Ministry to investigate the increasing numbers of abducted protesters and secure their release.
Nearly 2,800 people have been arrested since October. Most have been released but about 100 remain in detention centres.
“There are ongoing investigations into the remaining 100 protesters,” Mr Al Bayati said. “There is some evidence that shows their involvement in the devastation but the commission is attempting to release them all.”
The commission has not openly blamed any group for the violence.
The UN said it had received credible allegations of deliberate killings, abductions and arbitrary detentions carried out by unknown armed men described as militia, “unknown third parties” and “armed entities”.
The country’s political crisis is now as serious as any other since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein 16 years ago, and Iraq’s leaders seem illequipped to deal with it.
Many Iraqis languish in poverty – without jobs, health care or education – and the government has done little to address the demands of protesters.
Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi resigned last month but will remain as caretaker leader. Parliament has not yet found a replacement.
The public are calling for an independent candidate, with no party affiliation, to become prime minister.
“We reject any candidate that came into political power after 2003, even if the person is not tied to the ruling parties,” a committee formed by demonstrators said.
The protesters declined to nominate a candidate because of the “high level of corruption in Parliament and their links to Iran”, the committee said.
“Our revolution will continue until we win back our country.”
President Barham Salih refused on Thursday to designate the nominee of an Iranbacked parliamentary bloc for prime minister, Assad Al Eidani, saying he would rather resign than appoint someone to the position who would be rejected by protesters.
Mr Salih’s decision was met with criticism by Iran-backed politicians in Baghdad for not naming Mr Al Eidani – who was their preferred candidate.
The Hezbollah Brigades, or Kataeb Hezbollah, called the president’s move suspicious.
“We know that he is carrying out an American will that aims to pull the country towards chaos,” its statement read.
The group said the Mr Salih had ignored the constitution “by refusing to carry out his duties” to name the candidate chosen by Parliament’s largest bloc.
Mr Salih yesterday stressed the need to “respect the will of the people to implement reforms and reject any external interference in domestic politics”.