“Will Not Hesitate…”: US Counterattack On Forces in Iraq Backed By Iran
New Delhi: Following a previous incident that left three American servicemen wounded, US forces launched attacks on three locations in Iraq that were used by forces supported by Iran. The attacks were characterized as “proportionate” and “necessary” by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
“Today, US armed forces carried out necessary and proportional attacks on three sites utilized by Kataib Hezbollah and allied organizations in Iraq, under the order of President Trump. The statement from Austin was also shared on X, the former Twitter platform. “These precision strikes are a response to a series of attacks against US personnel in Iraq & Syria by Iranian-sponsored militias, including an attack by Iran-affiliated Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups on Erbil Air Base earlier today.”
According to the statement, three US servicemen were injured in today’s incident, with one of them in serious condition. “My prayers are with the brave Americans who were injured today,” Austin said.
President Biden “will not hesitate to take necessary action to defend the US,” according to the US Defense Secretary. To be clear, the President and I will not think twice about taking the necessary steps to protect our interests, our soldiers, and the United States. No other priority exists. We are determined to taking all necessary steps to defend our personnel and our facilities, even if we do not want to intensify the conflict in the area,” the statement said.
Established in 2007, the Kataib Hezbollah is a Shiite militia that has the backing of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. In 2009, Kataib Hezbollah’s Secretary General, Abu Mahdi al Muhandis, was sanctioned by the US for using violence against coalition troops commanded by the US in Iraq, and the group was designated as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization.”
Amidst the ongoing conflict in Gaza between US partner Israel and Hamas, assaults on US forces in Iraq have increased. A devastating assault on Israeli cities that claimed over 1,100 lives, the most of them civilians, set off the Gaza confrontation. The government of the Hamas-run region in Gaza claims that over 20,000 Palestinians have died as a result of Israel’s savage reaction.
According to news agency AFP, the killings in Gaza have prompted intense indignation across the Middle East and given groups hostile to US soldiers’ presence in the area a reason to attack them.
another 900 American soldiers are in Syria and another 2,500 in Iraq as part of the campaign to stop the Islamic State organization from rising again.
