Mourners attend Baghdad funeral of militiamen killed in US strikes

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A large crowd of mourners gathered in Iraq's capital city Baghdad on Wednesday to bury the bodies of four Shiite militiamen who were killed the night before in United States airstrikes on northern Babil province.

"Today, we are proud of these loved ones who sacrificed their lives and joined other martyrs," Saed Yousif al-Azzari, a Hashd al-Shaabi official, told Rudaw.

The US military said it had carried out a “defensive airstrike” targeting combatants attempting to launch weaponized drones in Babil province. 

“Tonight [July 30], U.S. forces in Iraq conducted a defensive airstrike in the Musayib in Babil Province, targeting combatants attempting to launch one-way attack uncrewed aerial systems,” a US defense official told Rudaw English on the condition of anonymity.

US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told Rudaw during a press briefing on Wednesday that the Pentagon carried out a "defense airstrike" in Iraq.

"These actions wer taken to address an imminent threat posed to US and coalition forces, and we have a commitment to the safety and security of our personnel and we won't hesitate to defend our people or hold responsible those who may potentially harm US personnel," he added. 

The four who were killed were linked with Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah, part of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) or Hashd al-Shaabi. The PMF announced early Wednesday that a drone strike had targeted one of its brigades stationed in Jurf al-Nasr (formerly Jurf al-Sakhr).

Kataib Hezbollah said in a statement that a US strike targeted a “group of drone experts” working on reconnaissance drones that were monitoring the borders of Karbala.

The strike has revived calls to expel foreign forces from the country.

"The blood of these martyrs must become a motivation for the Iraqi government, the prime minister, and all those in the resistance front to have a united stance. We all must work together to repel the invaders. It is very important for all of us to be united today and have a united stance," Hassan Garaawi, a relative of one of the slain fighters, told Rudaw.

"These young Iraqi men are much more important than the billions of dinars you make. You [Iraqi authorities] have chosen to be silent because of the money you make," said Sheikh Abdulhamza Masaad, another relative of the victims.

"The state of Iraq must immediately expel Americans from Iraq,” he added.

The attack was launched from a base in Kuwait, according to Kataib Hezbollah, which warned Kuwaiti officials not to allow its land to be a launchpad for “American criminal actions.”

The attack comes days after several rockets were launched at Ain al-Asad airbase in western Anbar, which houses US troops. The attack, which did not cause material damage, was the first on the base reported since April.

Frequent attacks were made on US forces in Iraq and Syria from October 2023 to February, following the start of Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip against Palestinian Hamas. The attacks were claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a network of shadow Iraqi militia groups backed by Iran.

The US carried out a number of retaliatory airstrikes.

The PMF was targeted by US airstrikes earlier this year after they were blamed for a drone strike that killed three American soldiers in a base in Jordan.

In January, US airstrikes on facilities of pro-Iran armed groups, mainly Kataib Hezbollah, near Anbar province’s Qaim district and Babil’s Jurf al-Nasr, killed one fighter. The US said the strikes were a “direct response” to a missile strike by the pro-Iran groups on Ain al-Asad airbase.

A “logistic support depot” of the PMF exploded in southern Baghdad without casualties on July 18. In April an explosion at Babil’s Kalsu military base, which houses PMF fighters, killed one and injured several others.

Washington’s retaliatory strikes drew strong condemnation from the Iraqi government. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani’s office described them as “unacceptable” and a violation of Iraqi sovereignty, and called on the international community to prevent acts of aggression against the country’s stability. His government has begun talks with the American military about winding down the US-led coalition mission in Iraq that was formed to combat the Islamic State (ISIS).

Halkawt Aziz and Diyar Kurda contributed to this article.