Iraqi officials accused the U.S. of being in “violation of Iraqi sovereignty” and lying about the circumstances after bombing the country in retaliation over three U.S. soldiers being killed in Jordan.
Iraqi spokesman Bassem Al-Awadi posted on social media platform X on Saturday that the attack killed 16 people, including civilians, and injured 25. He claimed that the U.S. falsified the facts, stating that the U.S. alleged that it gave warning prior to the attack.
A senior administration official told NBC News that U.S. officials, in fact, issued a warning to Iraq before the airstrike, stating that it was not a “huge heads up” and that the Iraqi government was lying about not being informed.
Friday night’s airstrikes were in retaliation for the death of three American soldiers in Jordan, after a drone attacked a military base last week.
CENTCOM Statement on U.S. Strikes in Iraq and Syria
At 4:00 p.m. (EST) Feb. 02, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups. U.S. military forces… pic.twitter.com/HeLMFDx9zY
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) February 2, 2024
“What you saw last night and what you are going to see again was not insignificant,” the senior Biden administration official told NBC News. “When you hit 85 targets over 30 minutes, that sends a strong signal about the capability that we have,” the official said, adding that “there are other things we’re going to do. Some you will see and some you won’t see.”
Yahya Rasool, a spokesman for Iraq’s prime minister, stated that the airstrikes could have “disastrous consequences” for the country, which is still trying to find stability after the U.S. evacuated its troops in 2011.
“These airstrikes constitute a violation of Iraqi sovereignty, undermine the efforts of the Iraqi government, and pose a threat that could lead Iraq and the region into disastrous consequences,” he said.
The U.S. reported targeting regions in Iraq and Syria where thousands of Iranian-backed fighters were stationed.
There has been some concern that the U.S. is going to war with Iran, but that is not the case, according to the Biden administration. John Kirby, the White House national security spokesman, said the U.S. just wants Iran to stop attacking its troops.
“We believe that these targets fell into exactly that criteria,” he said. “And the goal here is to get these attacks to stop. We’re not looking for a war with Iran.”
The U.N. plans on having an emergency meeting on Monday to address the airstrikes in Syria and Iraq.
