US Targets Iran-Backed Militias in Iraq in Response to Attack

In response to a drone strike on a US airbase in Iraq that injured US personnel, the US military has carried out attacks on Iranian-backed militant groups in Iraq. US Defence Chief, Lloyd Austin, announced that three sites used by Kataib Hezbollah and other groups were targeted as a retaliation for attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria. However, Iraq condemned the US strikes, considering them a "clear hostile act". This is not the first time the US has targeted militant group sites in Iraq and Syria in recent years. According to Iraq, the US strikes led to one fatality and 18 injuries, including civilians. Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin defended the attack, referring to it as "necessary and proportionate", and stated that President Joe Biden had authorized it. The drone strike on the US base in Irbil, located in Iraq's Kurdistan region, injured three US military personnel, one of whom is in critical condition, as confirmed by US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson. An Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a militia collective associated with Kataib Hezbollah, claimed responsibility for the attack. The US military base in Irbil has previously been targeted by rocket attacks carried out by Iranian-linked militia groups. Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian-armed and financed group, has been notably involved in attacks on US targets in Iraq. It operates under the Hashd al Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation), a coalition of militias that has been integrated into the Iraqi armed forces. Iraq maintains alliances with both the US and Iran, despite the significant hostility between the two countries. The US has a presence of around 2,500 soldiers in Iraq, invited by the Iraqi government to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State (IS) group. Additionally, there are approximately 900 US military personnel in northeastern Syria, working to counter IS. However, the Syrian government considers their presence in the country as illegal.