US hits hard at militias in Iraq and Syria, retaliating for fatal drone attack, officials tell AP
apnews.com
Officials say the U.S. military is launching an air assault on dozens of sites in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for the drone strike that killed 3 U.S. troops in Jordan.

The U.S. military launched an air assault on dozens of sites in Iraq and Syria used by Iranian-backed militias and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Friday, in the opening salvo of retaliation for the drone strike that killed three U.S. troops in Jordan last weekend, according the the U.S. military and officials.

President Joe Biden and other top U.S. leaders had been warning for days that America would strike back at the militias, and they made it clear it wouldn’t be just one hit but a “tiered response” over time.

“This afternoon, at my direction, U.S. military forces struck targets at facilities in Iraq and Syria that the IRGC and affiliated militia use to attack U.S. forces,” Biden said in a statement. “Our response began today. It will continue at times and places of our choosing.”

The massive barrage of strikes by manned and unmanned aircraft hit more than 85 targets at seven locations, including command and control headquarters, intelligence centers, rockets and missiles, drone and ammunition storage sites and other facilities that were connected to the militias or the IRGC’s Quds Force, the Guard’s expeditionary unit that handles Tehran’s relationship and arming of regional militias.

U.S. Central Command said the strikes used more than 125 precision munitions, and they were delivered by numerous aircraft, including long-range bombers flown from the United States. One official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the operation, said B-1 bombers were used.

  • cyd@lemmy.worldEnglish
    178·
    9 months ago

    Do they have permission from the Iraqi government, which is after all supposed to be a friendly government? Or is this another case of sovereignty not mattering when it’s inconvenient for the US? (Won’t even bother asking about Syria.)

    • Sl00k@programming.devEnglish
      13·
      9 months ago

      No Iraq officials condemned the attacks and accused the US of violating the countries sovereignty.

      "These strikes constitute a violation of Iraqi sovereignty, an undermining of the efforts of the Iraqi government, and a threat that will drag Iraq and the region into undesirable consequences, the consequences of which will be dire for security and stability in Iraq and the region,” Yahya Rasool Iraqi commander in chief

      • BNE@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
        62·
        9 months ago

        Mate, hate to break it to you - but sovcits have as legitimate a claim to the term ‘sovereignty’ as the US does to unsanctioned acts of war on foreign soil.