Iraq vows ‘legal, diplomatic measures’ after US-led coalition airstrike

By Ibrahim al-Khazen

ISTANBUL (AA) – Iraq vowed Wednesday to take legal and diplomatic measures following a US-led coalition airstrike on a security site in the central Babil province.

In a statement, military spokesman Yehia Rasool called the coalition airstrike a “heinous crime” and a “blatant aggression.”

Casualties were reported in the attack that targeted a security site of the pro-government Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) in the province.

The attack occurred “despite extensive efforts through political and diplomatic channels and the higher military commission, which have reached advanced stages to end the presence and operations of the Global Coalition Against Daesh/ISIS in Iraq," Rasool said.

The spokesman warned that the attack “could significantly undermine all efforts, mechanisms, and frameworks of joint security work to combat Daesh/ISIS in Iraq and Syria."

"Iraq will take the appropriate legal and diplomatic measures to protect its rights, ensure its security and sovereignty, and safeguard its territory," he said, without elaborating.

On Tuesday, a US defense official told Anadolu that the United States conducted a "defensive airstrike" against "combatants" in Babil.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the defense official said US forces conducted the strike in Musayyib in Babil province to target "combatants attempting to launch one-way attack uncrewed aerial systems (OWAUAS).”

Tensions have escalated in the Middle East when Israel launched a devastating onslaught against the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, with US bases in Iraq and Syria coming under attack by Iran-backed groups while attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis on commercial ships in the Red Sea continue.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar