SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The Iraqi prime minister’s spokesman on Monday condemned U.S. airstrikes that targeted a site on the Iraqi-Syrian border on Sunday night.
Yehia Rasool, spokesman for commander-in-chief of the armed forces, said the airstrikes were a “blatant and unacceptable” violation of sovereignty and national security of Iraq.
In a statement, the U.S. military said on Sunday that it targeted operational and weapons storage facilities at two locations in Syria and one location in Iraq, in response to drone attacks by the Iran-backed militia against U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq.
“Iraq renews its refusal to be a ground for settling accounts, and clings to its right to sovereignty over its lands, and prevent it from being used as a ground for reactions and attacks,” Rasool said.
“We call for calm and avoiding escalation in all its forms,” he added, stressing Iraq will carry out the necessary investigations, procedures and contacts to prevent such violations.
The strikes came at the direction of U.S. President Joe Biden, the second time he has ordered retaliatory strikes against Iran-backed militia since taking office five months ago.
Biden last ordered limited strikes in Syria in February, that time in response to rocket attacks in Iraq.
“As demonstrated by this evening’s strikes, President Biden has been clear that he will act to protect U.S. personnel,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
U.S. officials believe Iran is behind a ramp-up in increasingly sophisticated drone attacks and periodic rocket fire against U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq, where the U.S. military has been helping Baghdad combat the remnants of Islamic State.
Two U.S. officials, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said Iran-backed militias carried out at least five drone attacks against facilities used by U.S. and coalition personnel in Iraq since April.
The Pentagon said the facilities targeted were used by Iran-backed militia including Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada.
One of the facilities targeted was used to launch and recover the drones, a defense official said.
The U.S. military carried out strikes with F-15 and F-16 aircraft, officials said, adding the pilots made it back from the mission safely.
“We assess each strike hit the intended targets,” one of the officials told Reuters.
Iraq’s government is struggling to deal with militias ideologically aligned with Iran which are accused of rocket fire against U.S. forces and of involvement in killing peaceful pro-democracy activists.
Earlier in June, Iraq released Iran-aligned militia commander Qasim Muslih, who was arrested in May on terrorism-related charges, after authorities found insufficient evidence against him.
