IED explosion targets a convoy of the Coalition in southern Iraq

Shafaq News/ A blast from a roadside bomb reportedly hit a convoy of the US-led Global coalition in al-Diwaniyah.

A source told Shafaq News agency that the explosion targeted a supply convoy of the Coalition inside the territory of al-Diwaniyah governorate.

The attack resulted in no human casualties and the convoy resumed its march toward its destination, according to the source.

Observers believe that Iran-backed Iraqi factions orchestrate these nearly daily attacks against the convoys of the US-led Coalition in Iraq. The frequency of the attacks increased drastically since the assassination of the Commander of Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, and the Deputy Head of al-Hashd al-Shaabi Authority, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, in Baghdad in January 2020.

Heading into the first part of 2022 -with Qasem Soleimani's assassination anniversary, government formation process, and few other milestones- U.S. officials on multiple occasions anticipated an exacerbation of the attacks against U.S. interests in Iraq and Syria.

On December 9, the Iraqi government announced that U.S. troops had ended their combat mission. In reality, U.S. troops in Iraq made the transition to a training mission in July 2020, and thousands of U.S. troops will remain in both Iraq and Syria in this advisory role into 2022. The announcement was meant to ease pressure on the Iraqi government by Iranian-backed groups.