Iran-backed militias vow ‘revenge’ after US operation on Iraqi-Syria border

Militias backed by the Iranian regime vowed on Monday to “take revenge” after the American attack on the Syrian border with Iraq which left at least five dead.

“We will avenge the blood of our martyrs (…) We have already said that we will not remain silent in the presence of the occupying forcesThreatened the paramilitary alliance Hashd al-Chaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) in a statement confirming the death of four of its members in the region of Al Qaim, in western Iraq, near the Syrian border .

For his part, Kataeb Said al Shuhadá assured that the attacks this morning left an unknown number of victims in their ranks, in particular in the 14th brigade. The militia said in a statement that it was awaiting “a signal from the general command to react” and take revenge for the bombardments against its positions.

“Americans only believe in the language of force, and they and their agents you have to put your nose in the mud“Faleh al-Khazali, an Iraqi lawmaker affiliated with the militias, in turn tweeted.

In Baghdad, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazimi denounced in a statement a “flagrant violation of sovereignty“From his country, while calling for“ avoid escalation ”. He also reiterated his rejection of the use of Iraq as “calculation territory”.

For years, Baghdad has warned against the danger of its two main allies, Iran and the United States, using their territory as a battleground to settle scores, in a context of continuing tension over the nuclear issue.

Meanwhile, the Iranian regime has not made any major statements and has confined itself to accusing the United States of “disrupting regional security”.

For his part, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that his country’s airstrikes against pro-Iranian militia positions sent a “strong message” not to continue attacking his forces in this area. “This self-defense action to do whatever is necessary to prevent further attacks sends a strong and very important message,” Blinken told reporters in Rome.

The Pentagon announced that Three military sites used by Iranian-backed militias were attacked overnight from Sunday to Monday, two in Syria and one in Iraq.. He said the targets were being used by “Iranian-backed militias” who are engaged “in attacks on US personnel and sites in Iraq.”

The airstrikes on the Syrian-Iraqi border are the second ordered by President Joe Biden in response to attacks on US forces in Iraq.

Since the start of the year, there have been more than 40 attacks against US interests in Iraq, where 2,500 US troops are deployed as part of an international coalition to fight the jihadist Islamic State group.

The vast majority were bombs against logistics convoys, while 14 were rocket attacks, some of which were claimed by pro-Iranian factions seeking to pressure Washington to withdraw all its troops.

(With information from EFE and AFP)

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