The bombing is said to be in response to missile attacks on US targets in Iraq.
The United States on Thursday launched an airstrike in Syria against a structure of the Iranian-backed militiasReuters reported, in what would be a clear response to the missile attacks on US targets in Iraq. According to the Afp agency, 17 pro-Iranian fighters were killed in the attack.
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Under the leadership of President Joe Biden, US forces launched air strikes earlier tonight on infrastructure used by Iranian-backed militias in eastern Syria, spokesman John Kirby said in a statement. “This offensive was approved in response to recent attacks on US and coalition personnel in Iraq, and the ongoing threats to those personnel,” he added.
On February 15, three missiles were fired at Erbil airport in northern Iraq, one of which hit a military complex where soldiers of the US-led coalition are located. The other two missiles have landed on residential areas near the airport. The attack killed one and injured several Iraqis and foreigners. It was the first time, in nearly two months, that an attack on military or diplomatic facilities had taken place in Iraq.
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Western military and diplomatic sites have been hit by dozens of missiles and bombings since fall 2019, but most of the violence has taken place in Baghdad. Days later, on February 22, several missiles were fired at the US Embassy in Baghdad. Two of the missiles fell within the perimeter of the so-called Green Zone, a sector of the Iraqi capital where the embassy is located and under high security, according to a statement by Iraqi security services.
And at least one of the missiles hit Iraqi National Security headquarters, located near the US diplomatic mission, damaging several vehicles, a security source told AFP.
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Attacks on US facilities in Iraq have increased since the United States killed powerful Iranian commander Qasem Soleimaní in a targeted bombing in Baghdad in January 2020, a move widely criticized by Iraqi political forces and pro-Iranian militias. the country.
Little-known armed groups are often blamed for attacks on the Green Zone, but Washington directly blames Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi militia funded directly by Iran, rather than the United States. classified as a terrorist organization.
With information from Efe and Afp *