Iraqi paramilitary group vows to continue the battle after deadly U.S. attacks
Shafaq News/ The Sayyid al-Shuhada Brigades, a powerful Iran-backed Iraqi armed group, on Sunday vowed to continue "resistance operations" against U.S. forces in the country, even as they acknowledge the limitations of the Iraqi government's response.
The U.S. Central Command said it has conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria on Saturday, targeting 86 sites allegedly linked to Iran's Quds Force and its allied "militia" groups. The Iraqi government condemned the strikes and vowed to respond diplomatically.
"The American strikes are a new motivation for the resistance to defend Iraq's sovereignty and land," Sayyid al-Shuhada Brigades spokesperson Kadhim al-Fartusi told Shafaq News Agency. "Every drop of blood is considered the revenge of a martyr."
Al-Fartusi acknowledged the limitations of the Iraqi government's response, saying . "The Iraqi government's position and taking some diplomatic measures were correct," he said. "But the government must be on a parallel line. It cannot enter into a full-fledged open war. The capacities and considerations of the Iraqi army does not allow such a move."
The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an umbrella group encompassing the Sayyid al-Shuhada Brigades, said 17 members were killed in U.S. strikes in western Iraq. PMF chairman Falih al-Fayyadh called the attacks a "flagrant targeting" of their forces and said they "will not be tolerated", hinting at a potential response without explaining its nature or extent.
