Iraqi security Cabinet condemns US airstrike on Hashd al-Shaabi militia

By Ibrahim Saleh

BAGHDAD (AA) - Iraq's national security Cabinet on Monday condemned the US airstrike that targeted one of the Hashd al-Shaabi militias (Popular Mobilization) on the border area with Syria, considering the strike "a blatant violation" to Iraq's sovereignty.

A statement following a security Cabinet emergency meeting, headed by Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, said Iraq will "study all legal options to prevent the repetition of such attacks."

The security Cabinet, the highest security body in Iraq, expressed its complete rejection to make Iraq a tit-for-tat place, in reference to the conflict between the US and Iran.

The statement confirmed that Iraq has ongoing talks with the American side to discuss details for the US troops' withdrawal from Iraq.

The Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, a faction of the Hashd al-Shaabi, said on Monday that four members of the force were killed as a result of the US airstrikes. The faction threatened to go to “an open war with the American occupation.”

Earlier on Monday, the US announced in a statement by Pentagon spokesman John Kirby that it launched targeted airstrikes "against facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups in the Iraq-Syria border region."

Military sites housing US forces as well as the US Embassy in Baghdad have recently come under rocket attacks, which Washington blames for Shia armed factions linked to Iran.

* Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara.