ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s prime minister on Monday condemned the repeated strikes on bases hosting US troops in Iraq, saying Washington is in Iraq on an official invitation to support and train security forces, against the backdrop of the Israel-Gaza war.
Iraqi militias backed by Iran have repeatedly struck US interests in Iraq over Washington’s support for Israel. The strikes have become a daily occurrence, and the US State Department on Sunday updated its travel advisory to warn US citizens against traveling to Iraq.
“At a time when the Iraqi government expresses on several occasions its condemnation for the Zionist aggression against the residents of the Gaza Strip … we also affirm our rejection of the attacks that targets Iraqi bases which house the headquarters of the international coalition’s partners in Iraq, upon an official invitation from the government,” said a statement by Yehia Rasool, military spokesperson to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani.
The statement came as Washington evacuates non-emergency staff and eligible family members from its embassy in Baghdad and consulate in Erbil “due to increased security threats against U.S. government personnel and interests.”
Iraqis angry with Washington’s support for Israel in the past week have protested near the US embassy in Baghdad and Iran-backed militia groups have repeatedly carried out rocket and drone strikes against US bases in Anbar and Erbil provinces.
On Wednesday, a US contractor died of a heart attack suffered while sheltering during an attack.
Sudani also “directed all security services to carry out their duties, implement the law, track and trace the elements carrying out the attacks, and in no circumstances allow them to harm the security and stability that was achieved thanks to the great sacrifices of members of our armed forces,” the statement added.
On Saturday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced new deployments to the Middle East “to further strengthen the Department of Defense posture in the region.” He said the decision was made after a discussion with President Joe Biden about “recent escalations by Iran and its proxy forces across the Middle East Region.”
American troops in Iraq have received multiple warnings from pro-Iran militias that their bases and interests would become “legitimate targets” if the US decided to intervene in the ongoing Israel-Gaza war. Iraq is a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause.
The strikes have primarily targeted Harir airbase, located around 70 kilometers northeast of Erbil city, and Ain al-Asad airbase in Iraq’s western Anbar province, which houses US-led coalition personnel and Iraqi army troops.
American military bases in Iraq and Syria have come under threat from attacks by rockets and explosive-laden drones, especially following Washington’s assassination of Qasem Soleimani, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Quds Force, and Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi) deputy commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a targeted drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020.
The attacks have mostly been blamed on pro-Iran militia groups.
The US said at the time that Soleimani was planning imminent action against US personnel in Iraq, a country long torn between the competing demands of its principal allies Washington and Tehran.
Iraqi leaders have blasted Israel for its ongoing attacks on Gaza, which have killed thousands, and leaders of Iraqi militia groups have condemned the US for its strong support for Israel.
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