Iraqi President condemns attacks in Baghdad and Kurdistan region
Shafaq News/ Iraqi President Abdul-Latif Jamal Rasheed on Thursday condemned the attacks in Baghdad and the Kurdistan region, calling them a "serious escalation" that undermines security and stability in the country.
In a tweet on X, a social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Rasheed said, "We condemn the aggression that targeted a security headquarters in Baghdad, which resulted in deaths and injuries, as this is a violation of the sovereignty and security of Iraq."
"We also condemn the attacks that have recently hit the city of Erbil and its airport, and before that the city of Sulaymaniyah and other areas in the Kurdistan region and Iraq."
He added that "these repeated attacks represent a serious escalation that undermines security and stability in the country," calling prioritizing "the supreme national interest and not allow the country to be a battlefield for conflicts under any circumstances."
Earlier today, Iraq's Foreign Ministry denounced the "flagrant aggression" that targeted a security headquarters in central Baghdad and killed a high-ranking commander in al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces-PMF).
Thursday's strike comes amid mounting regional tensions fueled by the Israel-Hamas war and fears that it could spill over into surrounding countries. It also coincides with a push by Iraqi officials for U.S.-led coalition forces to leave the country.
A press release by the Iraqi foreign ministry said that the attack targeted a "security formation affiliated with the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces and operates under the commands of the state", describing it as a "dangerous escalation".
The ministry said that Iraq will take a "firm stance" and "all the necessary measures" to deter any attacks on its land and security forces.
The Popular Mobilization Force, or PMF, a coalition of paramilitary groups that is nominally under the control of the Iraqi military, announced in a statement that its deputy head of operations in Baghdad, Mushtaq Taleb al-Saidi, codenamed Abu Taqwa, had been killed "as a result of brutal American aggression".
U.S. officials confirmed that U.S. forces conducted a strike on a vehicle in Baghdad on Monday against the group Harakat al-Nujaba. The group, one of the groups within PMF, was designated a terrorist organization by Washington in 2019.
