Iraq accuses international coalition of attacking security sites | News

Iraq condemned on Wednesday what it called a brutal aggression carried out by aircraft belonging to the US-led international coalition on its territory, targeting security sites south of Baghdad and causing deaths and injuries.

The spokesman for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi armed forces, Major General Yahya Rasool, said that coalition aircraft coming from across the border targeted Iraqi security sites north of Babil province on Tuesday evening. He added that the bombing resulted in the deaths of a number of security forces members in the Popular Mobilization Forces.

Rasool said that despite the efforts aimed at reaching advanced stages towards ending the file of the presence of the international coalition to fight ISIS in Iraq and moving towards security relations based on mutual respect, the coalition forces committed a “heinous crime” by targeting security forces in Babil Governorate.

The Iraqi spokesman added that there was no justification for what he described as the reckless and irresponsible act of aggression, stressing that such transgressions would undermine the efforts of joint security work to combat ISIS and drag Iraq and the entire region into conflicts, wars and dangerous repercussions.

The Messenger held the international coalition forces fully responsible for the repercussions of the “brutal aggression”, noting that the coalition is present and operating in Iraq within a specific mandate and for a specific mission, stressing that Iraq will take legal and diplomatic measures to protect its lands and hold accountable those responsible for the attack.

Despite extensive efforts through political and diplomatic channels, as well as the efforts of the higher military commission, which have reached advanced stages in the efforts of ending the presence and operations of the Global Coalition against Daesh in Iraq and transitioning… https://t.co/mKteduOdjw

— Prime Minister's Media Office 🇮🇶 (@IraqiPMO) July 31, 2024

dead and wounded

For its part, the Iraqi police said that the bombing targeted a base used by the Popular Mobilization Forces, while medical sources reported that the raids resulted in the killing and wounding of 4 other members of the Popular Mobilization Forces, which is part of the security forces.

Iraqi sources confirmed that the death toll from the US bombing rose to 7 dead and 12 wounded from the Popular Mobilization Forces.

In turn, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq – Kata'ib Hezbollah said that American drones targeted “a group of drone experts who were seeking to carry out new technical experiments to raise the efficiency of reconnaissance drones.”

In contrast, US officials said that the US military carried out what they called a “defensive air strike” in Babil province last night against fighters who were trying to launch attack drones.

One official said the US military saw the drones as a threat to it and to coalition forces in Iraq.

The latest raid is the first known US strike in Iraq since February, when the US military launched air strikes in Iraq and Syria against more than 85 targets linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard and militias it supports.

Earlier this year, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani called for a timetable to end the coalition’s mission, following tensions sparked by US strikes against Iraqi factions in response to their targeting of bases housing US forces in Iraq and Syria.

Iraqi sources said that Iraq wants the coalition forces to begin withdrawing next September and to officially end their work by September 2025, with the possibility of some American forces remaining in an advisory capacity that was negotiated in recent days.