Iraqi security forces urged to stay away from US bases

By Haydar Karaalp

BAGHDAD (AA) - Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militia group, urged the Iraqi security forces in a written statement on Saturday to stay away from areas where the U.S. military bases are located, amid recently escalated tension in the region.

The security forces were told to stay at least a 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) away from the U.S. military bases from Sunday evening onwards.

Missile attacks took place near the U.S. Embassy in the Iraqi capital Baghdad late Saturday.

According to the Iraqi security sources, two missiles landed near the embassy in the Green Zone in Baghdad on the edge of the Tigris River.

Another attack was carried out at the Balad airbase in the northern Salah ad-Din province, located some 64 kilometers (40 miles) north of Baghdad, which includes the U.S. troops and government contractors.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks.

The statement also came during the escalated tension in the region following the killing of top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad early Friday.

* Writing by Dilara Hamit in Ankara