A senior pro-Iran militia commander has been killed in a U.S. drone attack in Baghdad, evoking warning by the Iraqi government.
The Kataib Hezbollah commander was killed in Al-Mashtal, a predominantly Shia neighborhood in eastern Baghdad, Wednesday night.
U.S. Central Command did not name the victim, but said he was responsible for directly planning and participating in attacks on U.S. forces in the region.
BBC reported that the victim has been identified as Abu Baqir al-Saadi.
Centcom said the drone strike was in response to the attacks on U.S. service members.
President Joe Biden had vowed to retalaiate against the killing of three U.S. troops at a military base in Jordan in drone attack on January 28.
Kataib Hezbollah, which is the most powerful Iran-supported militia in Iraq, is believed to be behind that attack.
Wednesday’s Baghdad strike met with protest by Iraqi military and militias in the country.
Iraq’s Joint Operation Command spokesperson Tahseen Al Khafaji said in a statement on X that the attack was a “new aggression by the United States”, and that it will “undermine all understandings” between th two allied nations.
AFP quoted Harakat al Nujaba as warning that there will be a “targeted retaliation” against US troops.
Copyright © 2024, RTTNews.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
