Popular Mobilization calls for an “immediate” decision to withdraw foreign forces from Iraq
Popular Mobilization calls for an “immediate” decision to withdraw foreign forces from Iraq
2024-07-31 04:18
Shafaq News/ The Popular Mobilization Authority called on the Iraqi authorities on Wednesday to take an “immediate” decision to expel foreign forces from the country, following the airstrikes launched by the US-led international coalition forces north of Babil Governorate, which resulted in the deaths of a number of fighters.
The authority said in a statement today, “The brutal aggressive operation that took place against our forces in the Popular Mobilization Forces in northern Babil Governorate calls on us to carry out all our national, legal, and legitimate responsibilities in defending the sovereignty and dignity of Iraq, and to unify efforts to take an immediate decision to withdraw foreign forces from our country.”
She added that “the coincidence of this attack with the criminal operation carried out by the usurping entity to assassinate Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political bureau of Hamas, exposes the enemies’ plans to ignite the region and expand the circle of war and aggression.”
The military spokesman for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi armed forces, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, said on Wednesday that coalition forces had committed a “heinous crime and blatant attack” north of Babylon, pledging to take appropriate legal and diplomatic measures “to preserve rights.”
An American official said on Wednesday that his country’s forces targeted fighters in the Iraqi province of Babil with a defensive air strike who tried to launch drones that threatened American forces and the international coalition, resulting in the killing of four members of the Popular Mobilization Forces.
U.S. forces launched a defensive airstrike Tuesday targeting militants in Iraq’s Babil province who were trying to launch drones that would threaten U.S. and coalition forces, a U.S. defense official said.
The US official confirmed that the strike resulted in the deaths of four people, and is the first since February when US forces killed a pro-Iranian commander.
He added that the Central Command considers the drones a threat to US forces and the international coalition, referring to the right to self-defense and taking appropriate measures.
The Popular Mobilization Forces, an alliance of armed factions within the official forces, said in a statement that the strike targeted two patrols north of Babylon, killing four of its members. It explained that the targeting was carried out by missiles launched by aircraft.
Over the past week, missiles have been fired at two bases housing US-led coalition forces fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. On July 16, the Ain al-Asad base was targeted by two drones, causing no casualties or damage.
An Iraqi security official suggested that the attack was intended to embarrass the Iraqi government and pressure the international coalition forces against the jihadists to leave, a demand repeated by the pro-Iran factions.
In April, an explosion and fire at the Kalsu base in Babil killed one person and injured eight others. In January, a drone attack killed three American soldiers in the border area between Iraq, Jordan and Syria.
The United States has about 2,500 soldiers in Iraq and 900 in Syria as part of the international coalition to fight the Islamic State.
shafaq.com
