ERBIL, Kurdistan - Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Saturday ordered the replacement and investigation into forces responsible for securing the area where an attack was launched on the United States embassy.
“It was decided to replace the presidential regiment with a regiment from the special unit to secure” the area where the attacks occurred, Yehia Rasool, military spokesperson for the prime minister, said in a statement.
“Officers and service members in that sector have been referred to specialized investigative committees to hold the negligent accountable,” Rasool added.
The team that will interrogate the forces that have been removed will lead a probe into the attacks, under instructions from Sudani to “thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding the attacks on the Embassy of the United States of America in Baghdad, the headquarters of the National Security Service, and several adjacent residential buildings,” said Rasool.
A series of rockets targeted the US embassy in Baghdad in the early hours of Friday, resulting in no casualties. The attack prompted Washington to call on Baghdad to protect diplomatic missions in the country, adding that it reserves the right to defend itself and protect its personnel.
Since October 17, US troops based in Iraq and Syria have been attacked with one-way drones and rockets at least 78 times, causing injury to 66 personnel, according to the Pentagon. The attacks are blamed on Iranian-backed Iraqi militias angry over Washington’s support for Israel in its fight against the Palestinian Hamas Movement in the Gaza Strip.
In a statement on Friday, Sudani labeled attacks on diplomatic missions a “terrorist crime that exposes the perpetrators to the maximum penalties.”
The US has welcomed Sudani’s stance.
“We are encouraged by Iraqi government commitment to pursue those who attack U.S. and Coalition personnel and facilities. We also welcome the statements made by major Iraqi political forces condemning these terrorist attacks. Now is the time for actions and results,” Alina Romanowski, US ambassador to Baghdad, said on X.
Washington has, however, retaliated against the militias, to the ire of Baghdad.
On November 22, US warplanes struck pro-Iran fighters in Jurf al-Nasr (formerly Jurf al-Sakhar) in northern Babil province, killing eight members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF or Hashd al-Shaabi). Another five PMF fighters were killed in a US drone strike in Kirkuk on December 3.
On Saturday, Sudani cautioned US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin against any retaliatory attacks inside Iraq without Baghdad’s approval.
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