Iraq denounces strike, says US-led coalition 'factor for instability'
Iraq has denounced a US drone strike that killed a commander of a pro-Iranian militia in the capital Baghdad, saying that the US-led international military coalition in the country is becoming a "factor for instability."
A US strike on Wednesday killed Abu Baqir al-Saadi, a senior commander in Kataib Hezbollah, one of the strongest Iran-allied militias in Iraq.
A funeral for al-Saadi will be held on Thursday at 4 pm (1300 GMT) in Baghdad.
"This trajectory compels the Iraqi government more than ever to terminate the mission of this coalition, which has become a factor for instability and threatens to entangle Iraq in the cycle of conflict," a spokesman for Iraq’s army commander-in-chief, Yehia Rasool, said in a statement on Thursday.
Rasool said the strike took place in the heart of a residential neighbourhood, which showed "no regard for civilian lives or international laws."
"Even more concerning is that the coalition consistently deviates from the reasons and objectives for its presence on our territory," he added.
The US-led alliance against the Islamic State was founded after the radical group overran large swathes of northern Iraq and Syria in 2014.
In 2021, Iraq and the US agreed to move it to a non-combat role. Last month, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani said a dialogue would be held to schedule an end to the coalition's tasks in the country.
The US military has struck targets in Syria and Iraq in recent weeks, in response to attacks by Iran-allied militia on its forces in the region.
On January 28, three US soldiers were killed in a drone attack by pro-Iranian militias in Jordan near the Syrian border.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which claimed responsibility for the January 28 attack, is an umbrella group for pro-Iranian militias in Iraq operating together under this general name since the war in Gaza broke out on October 7.
