U.S. drone strike targets Iran-backed forces in Kirkuk

Shafaq News/ The U.S. forces launched a drone strike in Kirkuk, Iraq, killing at least five members of Iran-backed groups.

According to a U.S. official, the targeting was justified as "self-defense" against an " attack" by "militia forces" in Kirkuk on Sunday.

According to U.S. official data, the attacks against the American and Global Coalition forces have reached 76 since October 17, with the latest attack involving a multi-rocket assault at Rumalyn Landing Zone in Syria.

The near-daily assaults commenced in the aftermath of Hamas' attack on October 7. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group comprising multiple armed factions with close ties to Tehran, has claimed responsibility for the majority of the attacks on U.S. forces.

In response, the United States has conducted strikes in eastern Syria and Iraq, targeting weapons depots and storage facilities linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its proxy groups.

Presently, the U.S. maintains 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq, pursuing a mission focused on advising and assisting local forces.