Shafaq News- Baghdad/ Washington
The US State Department summoned Iraqi Ambassador Nizar Khairallah on Thursday to formally condemn attacks by Iran-aligned factions on American diplomatic facilities and interests launched from Iraqi soil, accusing elements within the Iraqi government of providing cover for those factions.
Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau delivered the condemnation directly to the ambassador, the State Department said in a statement. Washington described the attacks as "egregious terrorist acts," singling out an April 8 ambush targeting American diplomats in Baghdad as among the most recent incidents in what it called hundreds of attacks over recent weeks against US citizens, diplomatic facilities, commercial interests, neighboring countries, Iraqi institutions, civilians, and targets in the Kurdistan Region.
While praising Iraqi security forces for their efforts to counter the attacks, the State Department said the Iraqi government had "failed to prevent them," and that certain government-linked entities continued to shield the factions responsible. Washington called on Baghdad to take immediate action to dismantle Iran-backed armed groups operating on Iraqi territory, warning it would not tolerate continued targeting of its interests.