A SUSPECTED US drone strike has killed Iran-backed militia commander Abu Taqwa Al-Saedi, according to reports.
The attack is said to have targeted the Harakat al Nujaba group following the recent attacks on American troops in the Middle East.
A US official said there were four victims of the strike, including one of the leader’s aides, and a further six injured, Sky News report.
It’s reported that a drone fired two rockets at a building used by the militia group in Baghdad, according to police and security sources in Iraq.
Images uploaded to social media by Iranian news network Press TV showed the devastation left in the wake of the airstrikes.
Iraq’s prime minister, Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani, described the attack as a dangerous escalation and a violation of his country’s sovereignty.
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Meanwhile, in a statement, Iraq’s foreign ministry said: “Iraq reserves its right to take a firm stance and take all measures that deter anyone who tries to harm its land and security forces.”
Abu Aqeel al Moussawi, a local Iraqi militia commander, vowed “retaliation”, adding: “We will make the Americans regret
carrying out this aggression.”
But the US strike comes after Iranian-backed militias decided to carry out more than 100 attacks on bases housing US troops in Iraq and Syria.
The United States has 900 troops deployed in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State militants.
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But the militant groups said that their recent attacks are in retaliation for Washington’s support of Israel in the war against Hamas.
Back in October, fears were already mounting over Iran-backed militias uniting and invading Israel after a sinister message appeared on the Lebanese-Israeli border.
A chilling mural of terrorist groups including Hamas and Hezbollah was painted on the barrier’s Lebanese side.
On Wednesday, Iran vowed to “hunt down terrorists” after at least 103 people were killed in a double blast that ripped through the memorial parade for infamous Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.
The two explosions came amid the ongoing high Middle East tensions over the Israel-Hamas war and a day after the killing of a Hamas senior leader in Lebanon.
ISIS has since claimed responsibility for the bomb attack after identifying two suicide bombers who carried out the blasts.
In a statement on Telegram, the group said two of its members “activated their explosives vests” at a gathering near the grave in the southern city of Kerman of slain Revolutionary Guards general Qasem Soleimani.
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