US launches strikes on Iraq over drone attack blamed on Iran-aligned forces

The Iraqi government has condemned air strikes by the United States military on its territory as “hostile acts” after the Pentagon said it hit sites used by pro-Iran forces to target US forces.

The Iraqi government has condemned air strikes by the United States military on its territory as “hostile acts” after the Pentagon said it hit sites used by pro-Iran forces to target US forces.

The US strikes killed one member of the Iraqi security forces and wounded 18 people, including civilians, the government in Baghdad said on Tuesday, calling them an “unacceptable attack on Iraqi sovereignty” that would “harm bilateral relations”.

Launched early on Tuesday, the US air strikes targeted three sites used by Kataib Hezbollah, a Shia armed group, and its affiliates, said US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson.

The strikes were a response to a Kataib Hezbollah attack the day before on Erbil airbase that wounded three US service members, one of them critically, according to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Austin said the “necessary and proportionate” strikes were intended to “disrupt and degrade” the capabilities of the Iran-aligned groups responsible for attacks against US personnel.