US airstrike targets Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia group in Iraq

The U.S. military carried out air strikes on Sunday against the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia group in response to the killing of a U.S. civilian contractor in a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base, officials said.

A top Iraqi militia leader warned of a strong response against U.S. forces in Iraq following the air strikes in Iraq and Syria overnight that hit several bases of his Iranian-backed group and killed at least 25 people.

Video obtained by Reuters showed the aftermath of a strike on the Kataib Hezbollah militia group headquarters in the Iraqi town of Qaim on Monday.

Tensions have heightened between Tehran and Washington – Iraq’s two main allies - since last year when President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with six powers and re-imposed sanctions that have crippled Iran’s economy.

The air strikes come at a troubled time of protests in Iraq with thousands taking to the streets to condemn, among other things, militias such as Kataib Hezbollah and their Iranian backers.

REUTERS