US Attack on al-Anbar sparks alarm in Iraq: PM urges a meeting with the State Coalition

Shafaq News/ Following the US attack on al-Anbar, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, the Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, called on an urgent meeting on Sunday for the State Administration Coalition to address the security situation.

The coalition stated that all members will convene urgently on Sunday at Al-Sudani's request, due to the grave security situation in Iraq, especially the US airstrike that hit Akashat and Al-Qaim areas in al-Anbar governorate.

Early Saturday, the US military launched airstrikes on dozens of sites related to Iranian-backed forces and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) in Iraq and Syria. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that its forces hit more than 85 targets with over 125 accurate weapons. The US said the strikes were in response to the killing of three soldiers at a US base in Jordan last weekend.

The Iraqi government condemned the US attacks on its territory, and rejected the US claims of notifying the Iraqi officials about the attacks. It considered them "a blatant breach of Iraqi sovereignty." The Presidency warned that these attacks "might endanger the ongoing talks to set the rules for the work of the Global Coalition," stressing the negative impact of violence and its tendency to generate more violence.

In light of these events, Al-Sudani declared a three-day National Mourning in all government institutions to pay respect to fallen soldiers and civilians from the US-operated bombings of Akashat and Al-Qaim in al-Anbar.