U.S. strike kills militia leader blamed for Iraq attacks, – U.S. official

A U.S. strike kills a militia leader blamed for Iraq attacks, according to a U.S. official. According to a U.S. official who spoke to Reuters, the U.S. military killed a militia commander in a retaliatory strike on Thursday in Baghdad, which it claims is responsible for recent attacks on U.S. forces.

A drone fired at least two missiles into an al-Nujaba’a militia base in eastern Baghdad, according to witnesses and sources with the Iraqi police.

According to police and militia sources, the rockets killed four people, including a local group leader and one of his assistants. The rockets struck a car within the Nujaba’a headquarters. Health sources confirmed the death toll.

Since the Israel-Hamas battle started in October, the U.S. military has been attacked in Iraq and Syria at least 100 times, most often by a combination of missiles and uncrewed aerial vehicles.

900 US soldiers are stationed in neighboring Syria and 2,500 in Iraq to stop Islamic State extremists from rising again.

The military spokesperson for the prime minister stated, “The Iraqi armed forces hold the international coalition forces responsible for this unjustified attack on an Iraqi security entity.” He was alluding to Thursday’s strike.

The statement identified the paramilitary organization as an Iraqi force acting with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s authorization. According to the U.S. official, the strike was carried out to kill the militia commander when it struck the vehicle.

Videos of a burned-out car were posted on websites that supported the military. Reuters could not independently confirm the validity of the video.

Groups in Syria and Iraq that support Iran reject Israel’s Gaza campaign and blame the U.S. in part for it. A year ago, Prime Minister Al-Sudani required the assistance of some factions sponsored by Iran to obtain office; these factions now represent a significant bloc in his ruling coalition, over which he has limited influence.

According to Iraqi security officials, a government investigation is ongoing, and they stated they had no more information about who may have carried out the strike.

Commanders of the Iraqi militias declared they would respond against the United States for allegedly orchestrating the strike.

“We intend to strike back and cause the Americans to regret launching this aggression,” a local leader of the Iraqi militia, Abu Aqeel al-Moussawi, declared. The U.S. launched counterattacks in Iraq last month in response to a drone strike by insurgents affiliated with Iran that left one U.S. serviceman critically injured and two others wounded.