Iraq asks US to refrain from turning country into battleground to settle scores with another state

By Anadolu staff

ISTANBUL (AA) - Iraq late Tuesday rejected being involved in a conflict between two countries, emphasizing that any attempt to turn the country into a battleground for warring states to settle scores would not be allowed.

This announcement came during a phone call between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein to discuss Washington's latest attacks on military and civilian sites in Iraq, said an Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement.

Hussein emphasized Baghdad's rejection of such attacks and the necessity to halt them, stressing that Iraq should not be used as a battleground to settle scores between combating countries, the statement said.

He also stressed the importance of dialogue and negotiation within the framework of High Military Committee meetings, it added.

The US attacks claimed the lives of 16 people, including civilians, and injured 25 others along with damages to residential buildings, according to Iraqi official sources.

The strikes came in response to an attack on a US military base near the Jordanian-Syrian border last week, which killed 3 soldiers and injured 40 others.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio​​​​​​​