According to CNN, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced that US forces attacked bases of armed groups in Iraq.
Secretary Austin said the US military carried out “necessary” strikes on three facilities used by the militant group Ketaeb Hezbollah and other groups in Iraq. The strikes targeted Ketaeb Hezbollah’s “headquarters, warehouses, and training sites for its rocket, missile, and unmanned aerial vehicle capabilities,” according to US Central Command.
The move comes just days after four US soldiers stationed in western Iraq were wounded in a rocket and missile attack. The Ketaeb Hezbollah group claimed responsibility for the attack.
Ketaeb Hezbollah is a pro-Iranian militia group that fought under the auspices of the Joint Mobilization Forces (PMF), which was established in 2014 to fight the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) and was approved by the Iraqi government .
Secretary Austin affirmed that the US has no intention of escalating the conflict in the region, but is prepared to take additional measures to protect its people and facilities.
According to the Pentagon, the US and its allies in Iraq and Syria have been the targets of more than 150 attacks and Washington has so far responded in both countries. The US currently has about 2,500 troops stationed in Iraq and 900 in Syria with the goal of preventing the rise of IS forces in these two Middle Eastern countries.
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