DoS: We notified Baghdad of strikes after execution

Shafaq News / The US State Department (DoS) stated on Monday that the United States did not inform Iraq before carrying out airstrikes on positions of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and Iran-backed factions in Akashat and Al-Qa'im, west of al-Anbar governorate.

Deputy spokesperson for the department, Vedant Patel, said during a press conference that "Iraq understood there would be a US response following the deadly attack on US forces in Jordan."

Patel added, "There was no prior notice to the Iraqi government... We informed the Iraqis immediately after the airstrikes occurred," noting that "the US is still assessing the damage caused by its strikes in Iraq."

On Saturday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that "its forces conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria targeting positions of the Quds Force affiliated with the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and armed groups under its command."

According to the statement, "more than 125 precision-guided munitions were used in the airstrikes, targeting leadership and control headquarters, intelligence centers, as well as warehouses for rockets, drones, ammunition, and logistical supplies belonging to armed factions and the IRGC."

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby affirmed, on Saturday, that "the Iraqi government had already been notified before the airstrikes were conducted."

However, Iraqi government spokesman Basim Al-Awadi denied "any prior coordination between Baghdad and Washington regarding the strikes carried out by US forces targeting security forces' positions in al-Anbar," confirming "16 fatalities and 25 injuries due to the aggression."

US President Joe Biden had directed military forces to strike targets in Iraq and Syria used by the IRGC and their affiliated armed groups to attack American forces, stating that "while the US is not seeking escalation in the Middle East, it will inevitably respond to those who harm Americans."