Pentagon urges Iraq to safeguard US troops from Iranian militia attacks
'If these attacks continue, we will not hesitate to defend our forces as we have done in the past,' Pentagon spokesperson says
The U.S. military has called on Iraq to take immediate action to protect American forces from attacks by Iranian militia groups following recent assaults.
Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesperson, stated that Iranian groups carried out two "unsuccessful attacks" Monday on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria. He emphasized that they were the first attacks on coalition facilities since February 4.
"These attacks put coalition and Iraqi personnel at risk. We call on the government of Iraq to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria against attacks from these groups," said Ryder.
US to defend its forces as they have done in past
The drone and rocket fire marks the first such incidents since a nearly three-month hiatus in what had been almost daily attacks. These attacks culminated in the killing of three U.S. soldiers at the Tower 22 outpost in Jordan in January.
The U.S. has approximately 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in eastern Syria on an advise-and-assist mission.
"If these attacks continue, we will not hesitate to defend our forces as we have done in the past," he added.
Iraq, battleground between Iran, US
U.S. bases in Syria and Iraq have recently faced repeated attacks by Iranian-linked groups, which intensified following Oct. 7 attacks by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, prompting an Israeli response.
According to the Pentagon, there have been 190 U.S. casualties in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan since Oct. 18.
Washington has previously blamed Iran for funding and directing militias in Iraq and Syria that attack U.S. forces.
The United States assisted Israel in shooting down a massive wave of Iranian drones and missiles on April 14, fired by Tehran in retaliation for an April 1 Israeli strike against an Iranian diplomatic facility in Syria.
3 months of pause following Iraqi PM's US visit
At least five rockets were launched from Iraq's town of Zummar toward a U.S. military base in northeastern Syria on Sunday, a day after Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani returned from a visit to the United States.
Al-Sudani, wary of his country becoming a battleground for fight between the U.S. and Iran, met President Joe Biden earlier this month in an effort to turn a new page in U.S.-Iraqi relations despite soaring regional tensions.
The U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003, toppling strongman leader Saddam Hussein, withdrawing in 2011 before returning in 2014 at the head of an international military coalition at the Baghdad government's request to help fight Daesh insurgents.
Source: Newsroom
