United States and coalition forces have launched retaliatory airstrikes against Iranian-backed militia groups in Iraq.
The Friday strikes, which began at about 1 a.m. local time, followed an attack on Taji camp, a base that houses U.S. forces. The Wednesday attack killed two U.S. service members and one British soldier. It also wounded a dozen others, leaving five in serious condition.
The Pentagon confirmed the operation and said the strikes were intended to be “proportional” to Wednesday’s attack and targeted five weapons storage facilities for Kata’ib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militia group that falls under the umbrella of the Shiite Popular Mobilization Forces.
“The United States will not tolerate attacks against our people, our interests, or our allies,” Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said. “As we have demonstrated in recent months, we will take any action necessary to protect our forces in Iraq and the region.”
Esper had previously said Thursday that following the Taji attack, he had been authorized by President Trump to respond as need be. The Pentagon said in its statement after the retaliatory attack that the strikes were meant to be a deterrent to further aggression.
“These terror groups must cease their attacks on U.S. and coalition forces or face consequences at a time and place of our choosing,” the statement said.
Kata’ib Hezbollah was behind a December rocket attack on a Kirkuk, Iraq, military base that killed an American contractor. The death led to a tit-for-tat series of events that ended with Iran directly targeting bases housing U.S. forces in Iraq.
