The US military stated that an American airstrike in Iraq on Wednesday eliminated a commander of a pro-Iran armed group who was implicated in attacks against Washington’s troops.
An American air strike in Iraq killed a commander of a pro-Iran armed group Wednesday who was involved in attacks on Washington’s troops, the US military said.
The strike came “in response to the attacks on US service members” and killed “a Kataeb Hezbollah commander responsible for directly planning and participating in attacks on US forces in the region,” the military’s Central Command said on social media.
“There are no indications of collateral damage or civilian casualties at this time,” it added.
The strike occurred on a main thoroughfare in the Mashtal neighborhood in eastern Baghdad. A crowd gathered as emergency response teams picked through the wreckage.
The targeted car belonged to a member of the Iran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah under the Iraqi state-sponsored militia Al-Hashd al-Shaabi in Baghdad, according to security sources.
“A drone fired three rockets at a 4X4 car” in east Baghdad, one source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Another source said the vehicle belonged to an official from Al-Hashd al-Shaabi, a coalition of mainly pro-Iran paramilitaries now integrated into Iraq’s regular security forces.
The attack comes as tensions soar, with the United States carrying out strikes on pro-Iran groups in Iraq and Syria amid the war in the Gaza Strip.
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Khalil Wakim, with AFP
