U.S. Strikes killed a PMF member, Washington warns of escalation
Shafaq News/ The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) announced that the American forces targeted its headquarters in Al-Anbar and Babel governorates, resulting in casualties.
"U.S. forces continue to commit crimes against the members of the Popular Mobilization Forces. Sites affiliated with the Al-Jazeera Operations Command were subjected to a new criminal aggression at 00:50, targeting our fighters' headquarters and causing damage to nearby facilities in the railway area of Al-Qa'im district, west of Al-Anbar governorate, while they were performing their duty to protect our borders from the Syrian side." PMF said in a statement.
The statement said the U.S. strikes killed the PMF member Ali Anwar Sobeih Al-Saadi and injured two others.
Additionally, the Popular Mobilization reported another attack by the U.S. forces at 00:30 local time at the PMF training building (the Military College) in the Jurf al-Nasr sector. The strike allegedly led to the destruction of the building and damage to nearby facilities.
On Wednesday, the U.S. forces struck sites of the Hezbollah Brigades in Iraq (Kataeb Hezbollah) as what it said was a response to attacks by these Iranian-backed forces, including the attack on al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq on Jan. 20.
“On Jan. 24 at 12:15 a.m. (Iraq time), U.S. CENTCOM forces conducted unilateral airstrikes against three facilities used by Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia group and other Iran-affiliated groups in Iraq." CENTCOM said in a statement.
According to the U.S. Central Command, the strikes targeted the Kataeb's headquarters, storage, and training locations for rocket, missile, and one-way attack UAV capabilities.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, "U.S. military forces conducted necessary and proportionate strikes on three facilities used by the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia group and other Iran-affiliated groups in Iraq."
Austin pointed out that these "precision strikes are in direct response to a series of escalatory attacks against U.S. and Coalition personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-sponsored militias."
"The President and I will not hesitate to take necessary action to defend them and our interests."
Austin stressed that the United States does not seek escalation conflict in the region but is "fully prepared to take further measures to protect our people and our facilities."
The Islamic resistance in Iraq announced targeting the Ain al-Assad US base in Al-Anbar twice in two separate operations on Tuesday.
Jaafar al-Husseini, the military spokesperson for Iraqi Kataib Hezbollah, emphasized that the Iraqi Resistance will "persist in targeting enemy strongholds."
