Iran-backed militia denies involvement in Erbil airport attack, says it has ‘no interest’ in war

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The spokesperson of an Iran-backed Iraqi militia group has denied involvement in the Tuesday drone attack on Erbil International Airport in an interview with Rudaw, saying the militia has no interest in war. 

Sheikh Kadhim al-Furtosi, spokesperson for Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, part of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi in Arabic) said Erbil International Airport is “not a US base,” implying it is not a target for the militia. 

“It is not possible to target the airport in any way, by any Iraqi, whether it is us or somebody else,” he told Rudaw.

“We didn’t go to Washington to fight. We only defend Iraq’s sovereignty on Iraqi land; we want a free land, a free nation and a free sky, nothing more than that. We don’t have an interest in starting a war with any side, whether it’s American or not.”

However, Furtosi reserved the right to attack foreign forces in Iraq. 

"This is the Iraqi resistance. We have the legitimate right to target the bases of the occupying forces, be it in the north or in the south, all over. The best way to end these attacks is for the withdrawal of the forces," he said.

An explosives-laden drone hit Erbil International Airport, which hosts US-led coalition troops, late on Tuesday, causing a fire at the site but no casualties or physical damage. It came less than 24 hours after an “airborne threat” was shot down over the US embassy in Baghdad.

Two bases housing United States forces in Iraq and Syria were also hit by rockets and drones on Wednesday afternoon. 

Attacks on Iraqi bases, especially those hosting US troops, have increased since the US assassinated top Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and PMF deputy commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in Baghdad in January 2020. There have been almost 30 attacks on or near bases in Iraq and Syria since the beginning of 2021, according to data collated by Rudaw English. 

The US has retaliated, with four fighters from Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada killed in airstrikes on the Iraq-Syria border in May. It was the second offensive against Iran-backed militias since US President Joe Biden took office in January.

Iran-backed militias have pushed for the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq, also targeting the US embassy in Baghdad. 

 

Updated at 10:52 am, July 8, 2021