Iraqi PM declares 3 days of mourning for victims of US airstrikes
3 Min Read
According to a statement by the government of Iraq on social media, the prime minister announced the state of mourning " across all state departments and institutions" to honour the martyrs killed by American bombing,
-
Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani attends a ceremony marking the Police Day in Baghdad, Iraq, on January 9, 2024. (AP)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani proclaimed three days of mourning in all government departments and institutions on Saturday in commemoration of those murdered in US airstrikes in western Iraq.
According to a statement by the government of Iraq on social media, the prime minister announced the state of mourning " across all state departments and institutions... in honor of the souls of the martyrs from our armed forces and the civilians who lost their lives due to the American bombing."
Following the United States' wide aggression on areas in Iraq and Syria late Saturday, the Security and Defense Committee in the Iraqi parliament said that the US-led coalition forces present in the country are "destabilizing the situation," and called on the government to expedite the reaching of an agreement on their withdrawal.
According to CENTCOM, US forces struck more than 85 targets in Iraq and Syria with numerous aircraft, including long-range bombers that were said to have taken off from the United States.
Read more: Hezbollah says US strikes on Syria, Iraq aggravating regional conflict
In Syria, the attacks led to the killing of several civilians and soldiers, injuring others, as well as causing significant material damage, as per a Syrian military statement.
Meanwhile, the US aggression in Iraq resulted in the martyrdom of 16 people, including Iraqi soldiers and civilians.
Iraq government: US forces a source of instability
Separately, the Iraqi government issued a statement warning that the recent US attacks "place the security of Iraq and the region on the brink of the abyss, and contradicts efforts to consolidate stability."
"The presence of the international coalition, which has deviated from its assigned tasks and the mandate given to it, has become a cause for security threats and instability in our country, and is involving Iraq in regional and international conflicts."
Furthermore, it accused "the US of engaging in deception and distorting facts by claiming prior coordination [with Baghdad] before committing this aggression," labeling it a "false claim" aimed at "misleading the international public opinion and shirking legal responsibility for this unacceptable crime."
The government pledged to "exert all efforts required by national responsibility to protect the land of Iraq and the lives of its sons in the armed forces across all its branches."
Finally, it reiterated Iraq's refusal to be a "ground [for parties] to settle [their] scores."
The US attacks came in response to a Resistance operation that killed three US soldiers and wounded over 40 others in Jordan as regional escalations, the root cause of which are the US and its interventionist policies, in addition to its staunch ally, the Israeli occupation.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi government's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) have affirmed their readiness to carry out any orders from the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to preserve Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
