AMN / WEB DESK
The United States military has responded to the attack on its forces based in Iraq and Syria by targeting the Iran-backed terrorist groups in Iraq. US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said the attack was authorised by President Joe Biden.
The US strikes came hours after US personnel were injured in a drone strike on a US airbase located in Iraq. The US defence chief said they hit three sites used by Kataib Hezbollah and other groups. Iraq, however, termed the US strikes as a hostile act. Iraq said one person was killed and 18 others, including civilians, were injured in the US strikes.
A terrorist group called Islamic Resistance in Iraq, linked to Kataib Hezbollah had claimed responsibility for a drone attack on US bases in Irbil in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. The US has about 2,500 soldiers in Iraq and 900 US military personnel in north-east Syria to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State (IS) group.