Iraq to hand official note of protest to US charge d'affaires over strikes

By Murat Basoglu and Abdul Jabbar Aburas

BAGHDAD (AA) - Iraq will summon the US chargé d'affaires to hand him an official note of protest over the airstrikes on the country, local media reported.

“In protest against the American aggression that targeted Iraqi military and civilian sites, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will summon the Charge d'Affaires of the United States Embassy in Baghdad, David Burger,” the Iraqi news agency INA quoted the Foreign Ministry as saying.

The US began to carry out a wave of airstrikes Friday against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)-Quds Force and Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria after a suicide drone attack killed three American troops in Jordan.

The strikes were conducted with numerous aircraft, including long-range bombers that launched from the US, Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement. In all, more than 85 targets were hit with more than 125 precision munitions.

According to the Iraqi government, at least 16 people were killed and 25 others were injured in the US attacks on Iraq.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi