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US claims responsibility for attack on Iraqi official in Baghdad

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Reuters
4 Jan 2024 19:46

The chief secretary of Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq (AAQ) Qais al-Khazali called on the Iraqi government to "take decisive steps to end the so-called international coalition in Iraq."

Iraqi resistance fighters attend the funeral of a leader who was killed by US occupation forces, in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024 (AP)

Reuters reported on Thursday, citing a US official, that the US occupation forces carried out an aggression on Baghdad, targeting the leader of the Iraqi resistance and an Iraqi official who is believed to be behind the recent surge of operations on US occupation bases in both Iraq and Syria.

The US official further said that the strike targeted a leader of Al-Nujaba Brigades without specifying the target's identity.

Following the aggression, the chief secretary of Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq (AAQ) Qais al-Khazali called on the Iraqi government to "take decisive steps to end the so-called international coalition in Iraq," holding US forces "fully accountable for their terrorist actions in violating Iraqi sovereignty."

Khazali also urged the expedited withdrawal of all foreign occupying forces and the rebuke of pretexts that the US employs to prolong their presence.

He called the US aggression on Baghdad "a blatant violation and a clear disregard for Iraq's security and sovereignty" and stressed the "need for US forces to take legal accountability of their crimes."

In turn, Kataib Hezbollah affirmed that "the resistance remains and will continue to confront its adversaries, thwarting their schemes aimed at intimidating our people in service of their interests in the region." It also called on "decision-makers to take responsibility by taking a brave stance in expelling criminals from the holy land."

Palestinian resistance group Hamas condemned "the treacherous attack today on one of the security headquarters in Baghdad," considering it a "violation and encroachment on Iraq's sovereignty and security, serving the Israeli agenda aiming to destabilize the region."

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement said that "the cowardly assassination operations against the leaders of the resistance in the region will increase the cohesion of the resistance forces," emphasizing that "the freedom and prosperity of our nation's people pass through confronting the US and Israeli occupations and expelling them."

Earlier in the day, Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Iraq reported that the assistant commander of the Baghdad Ring operations in Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) Hajj Moshtaq Taleb Al-Saidi (Abou Taqwa) was martyred in a US airstrike that targeted the headquarters of the PMF in eastern Baghdad.

The aggression coincided with preparations for the anniversary celebrations of the Iraqi military. During the attack, a drone launched four rockets from a drone, three of which were launched simultaneously, while the fourth struck Al-Saidi's car.

The Iraqi Presidency stated that the US aggression "constitutes a breach and violation of Iraq's sovereignty and security, a clear violation of the relations between Iraq and the international coalition, and a contradiction with the frameworks and justifications for which the coalition was established to provide assistance and advice to the Iraqi security forces."

On his part, the spokesperson for the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Yahya Rasoul Abdullah, held the international coalition responsible for the "unjustified attack" on the PMF headquarters.

The head of the Iraqi Supreme Islamic Council Ammar al-Hakim said he considered the Baghdad explosion as a "criminal act and a blatant violation of Iraqi sovereignty."

This comes in the context of persistent attacks by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq against US occupation bases in Iraq and Syria as part of their commitment to stand in solidarity with the people of Gaza who face a genocidal war sponsored by the US.

Yesterday, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq declared that it successfully targeted the US al-Tanf base in Syria using a drone.

The group also took responsibility for firing a salvo of rockets at the al-Shaddadi base, affirming their commitment to continuously target the strongholds of US forces.