BAGHDAD: US fighter jets struck two targets in Iraq early on Wednesday, killing eight ‘pro-Iran’ fighters in retaliation for repeated attacks on American troops, US and Iraqi sources said.

The twin strikes, which followed similar bombardment of Iran-backed forces on Tuesday, drew condemnation from the Iraqi government, which said it had not been consulted about the military action on its soil.

The US military “conducted discrete, precision strikes against two facilities in Iraq”, US Central Command posted on X, previously Twitter.

“The strikes were in direct response to the attacks against US and coalition forces by Iran and Iran-backed groups,” CENTCOM added.

The Iran-backed Hezbollah Brigades, which form part of the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) force within Iraq’s armed forces, said the strikes killed eight of its fighters.

Hours earlier, a warplane struck the vehicle of Iran-backed fighters after they had fired a short-range ballistic missile at US and allied personnel, the Pentagon said.

It was the first time the United States has announced a strike on Iran-backed forces in Iraq since they launched a flurry of attacks against US targets in response to Washington’s support for Israel in its war in the Gaza Strip.

Washington has targeted Iran-backed groups in neighbouring Syria, however, carrying out strikes on three occasions in recent weeks.

Since the Gaza crisis erupted, US forces deployed in Iraq and Syria have been attacked at least 66 times, most recently on Monday night, according to Pentagon officials.

“We can confirm an attack last night by Iran-backed militias using a close-range ballistic missile against US and coalition forces at Al-Asad Airbase, which resulted in eight injuries and some minor damage to infrastructure,” Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder said on Tuesday.

The Ain al-Asad Air Base in Anbar province, west of Baghdad, hosts forces of the US-led coalition fighting the militant Islamic State group in Iraq.

“Immediately following the attack, a US military AC-130 aircraft in the area conducted a self-defence strike against an Iranian-backed militia vehicle and a number of Iranian-backed militia personnel involved in this attack. This self-defence strike resulted in several enemy KIA (killed in action),” Ryder said.

Government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi said the pre-dawn strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday were carried out “without the knowledge of Iraqi government agencies”, and were an “unacceptable violation of Iraqi sovereignty”.

But he also criticised the Iran-backed groups that have repeatedly attacked Iraqi bases used by forces of the US-led coalition fighting IS.

“Any armed action or activity outside the military institution is deemed condemnable and an unlawful endeavour that jeopardises the national interest,” Awadi said in a statement.

Hundreds of people chanted anti-US slogans at the funerals of six of the fighters in Baghdad on Wednesday afternoon.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2023