Baghdad condemns attacks against Iraqi bases housing US forces

On Monday, the Iraqi government expressed its rejection of recent attacks targeting bases hosting US forces, with these incidents intensifying as the war between Israel and Hamas unfolded.

Since Wednesday, at least five attacks have targeted three Iraqi bases housing US forces and international coalition troops combating extremism, using rockets or drones. One of these attacks resulted in "minor" injuries, according to the US military.
 
Yahya Rasoul, the spokesperson for Iraq's Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani, stated, "We confirm our rejection of the attacks that target Iraqi bases, which also house the headquarters of international coalition advisors present in Iraq, officially invited by the government." 

He further directed "all security agencies to fulfill their duties and enforce the law by tracking and pursuing the perpetrators of these attacks."

Most of these attacks have been claimed by a group calling itself the "Islamic Resistance in Iraq." The group's statements have been disseminated through Telegram channels associated with Iraqi armed factions sympathetic to Iran.

In response to these escalations, the United States ordered the evacuation of non-essential staff from its embassy in Baghdad and its consulate in Erbil in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

The Iraqi government enjoys support from parties sympathetic to Iran and has condemned Israeli airstrikes on Gaza. 

However, Baghdad is striving to maintain a delicate balance in its relations with the United States, which has deployed around 2,500 troops in Iraq, mainly engaged in training and advisory roles for Iraqi forces.


AFP