The United States announced that it reserves the right to respond to any targeting of its interests in Iraq. Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby confirmed on his official Twitter account last night that the U.S. will retaliate against any attacks on its interests or bases in Iraq. This statement comes after a series of attacks in various Iraqi regions, particularly in the Kurdistan region, against coalition forces and American troops in recent days.
The announcement followed remarks by former Iranian ambassador to Iraq Hassan Danaeifar, who revealed many details. While several Iranian-aligned militias and factions are accused of carrying out these attacks, despite the Iraqi state pledging to defend diplomatic facilities and coalition forces and condemning these attacks multiple times, the diplomat emphasized that attacks against American forces will continue. He criticized the lack of genuine actions from the U.S. regarding the repositioning of American forces. Danaeifar, in an interview with the Iranian "Tasnim" agency, stated that attacks on U.S. bases in the Kurdistan region align with those in other areas of Iraqi territory.
In a blatant interference in sovereign matters, the retired Iranian ambassador stressed the need for Americans to leave Iraq, justifying his position by noting that the Iraqi parliament voted on this issue, while the Iraqi government had conducted three rounds of strategic dialogue with the U.S. administration, emphasizing the importance of cooperation between the two countries in combating terrorism, as well as coordinating on other issues.
It is noted that since January, there have been twenty attacks targeting U.S. military bases or diplomatic facilities. Since the fall of 2019, dozens of attacks have targeted Western military and diplomatic facilities in the country. On April 4, two rockets fell near Balad Air Base, just three days before the resumption of "strategic dialogue" between Baghdad and the new U.S. administration. On April 7, Washington agreed to withdraw its "combat" forces from Iraq, while maintaining its training mission for years, according to reports from "Agence France-Presse." Overall, twenty attacks involving rockets or bombs have targeted bases housing American military personnel or American diplomatic missions since President Joe Biden took office in late January.
