BAGHDAD: Iraq’s government warned on Monday that its relations with the United States were at risk after deadly American air strikes against a militia group sparked anger on the streets, with protesters torching US flags.
Baghdad said it would summon the US ambassador while Washington responded by accusing Iraqi authorities of having failed to “protect” US interests.
At least 25 fighters were killed in Sunday night’s attacks, which saw US planes hit several bases belonging to the Hezbollah Brigades, one of the most radical factions of Hashed al Shaabi.
The attacks came as Iraq is caught up in mounting tensions between its allies Tehran and Washington while it also grapples with huge street protests against corruption and militias growing influence in the country.
The strikes “killed 25 and wounded 51, including commanders and fighters, and the toll could yet rise,” said the Hashed, which holds major sway in Iraq.
Victims were still being pulled from the rubble of bases near Al-Qaim, an Iraqi district bordering Syria, on Monday, it said.
The Hezbollah Brigades said they will hold a mass funeral ceremony in Baghdad near the high-security Green Zone, where the US embassy is located.
Iraq’s government, acting in a caretaker capacity following the resignation of prime minister Adel Abdel Mahdi in the face of street protests, denounced the strikes and warned they could affect ties with Washington.
“American forces acted on their political priorities, not those of the Iraqis,” a statement said, adding that such strikes “violate the sovereignty of Iraq”.
The attacks “force Iraq to review its relations and its security, political and legal framework to protect its sovereignty”, the government added.
EMBASSY STORMED
The warning came as demonstrators torched US flags in the southern cities of Basra and Najaf as well as in Kirkuk, north of Baghdad, while lawmakers called for US troops to be booted out of Iraq.
US President Donald Trump said he expects Iraq to “use its forces” to protect the US embassy in Baghdad as he blamed Iran for orchestrating an “attack” that breached the wall of the compound.
It was the first time in years that protesters have been able to reach the US embassy, which is sheltered behind a series of checkpoints in the high-security Green Zone.
“We expect Iraq to use its forces to protect the Embassy, and so notified!” Trump tweeted.
Dozens of lawmakers called on the government to review an agreement allowing the deployment of 5,200 US soldiers in the country, saying the strikes amount to a violation that renders the pact obsolete.
US Assistant Secretary of State David Schenker said the strikes were a “proportionate” response for the death Friday of a US civilian contractor in Kirkuk in a Hezbollah Brigades rocket attack. “We don’t want an escalation here, we want a de-escalation,” he added however.
Abdel Mahdi said he had been forewarned by US Defence Secretary Mark Esper that the US would carry out the attacks.
“He told me the United States would strike the Hezbollah Brigades and I told him it would be a very dangerous act that could lead to an escalation,” Abdel Mahdi said.
US sources say armed factions now pose a greater threat than the IS group, whose rise saw the US freshly deploy troops on Iraqi soil.
Sunday night’s strikes revived calls from Iraq and beyond for US troops to leave. — AFP
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