Iraqi presidency calls for emergency meeting to discuss US strikes

By Mustafa Haboush

BAGHDAD (AA) - The Iraqi presidency on Saturday called for an emergency meeting of all political blocs to discuss “the American aggression” on the country.

“The United States' aggression against Al-Qa'im in Anbar Governorate and other Iraqi border areas in the west of the country, which resulted in the deaths of many Iraqi citizens, represents a flagrant violation of Iraq's sovereignty,” the presidency said in a statement.

It called “for an emergency meeting to discuss these developments and their repercussions with the presidency and all political blocs in order to establish clear and unified positions for maintaining the dignity, sovereignty, and security of our country and its citizens.”

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 last month.

The strikes were conducted with numerous aircraft, including long-range bombers, 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.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi