The U.S. military launched targeted strikes on three sites used by Iran backed forces in Iraq on Monday in response to an earlier drone attack that wounded American personnel. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed the retaliatory action, stating that President Joe Biden had ordered the strikes against militia groups affiliated with Iran after three U.S. service members sustained injuries in a drone attack in Northern Iraq.
“These precision strikes are a response to a series of attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-sponsored militias, including an attack by Iran-affiliated Kataeb Hezbollah and affiliated groups on Arbil Air Base earlier today,” Secretary Austin said in a statement.
The attack earlier on Monday, claimed by the Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups, targeted Arbil Air Base, resulting in critical injuries to one U.S. service member. President Biden, who is spending Christmas at Camp David, was briefed on the incident and subsequently directed the Pentagon to prepare response options.
National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson confirmed that one U.S. troop suffered critical injuries in the attack. The strikes on the militia sites were carried out after Secretary Austin and the national security team presented response options to President Biden.
The U.S. has attributed the rising violence against American forces in the region to Iran, which has supported and trained militia groups. The recent attack follows months of escalating threats and actions against U.S. troops in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, which led to a significant conflict in Gaza.
The U.S. has maintained a measured response to such incidents, seeking to prevent the regional conflict from escalating further. The administration’s approach has faced criticism from Republicans, but the targeted strikes on Monday underscore the U.S. commitment to responding to attacks on its personnel.
The U.S. has a significant military presence in Iraq, where its troops are engaged in training Iraqi forces and combating remnants of the Islamic State group. The ongoing tensions in the region have led to a series of attacks on U.S. forces, with Iran-backed groups often held responsible for these actions.
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