A high-ranking member of an Iran-backed militia met his end in a US drone strike in Baghdad.
In the eastern part of the Iraqi capital, a vehicle carrying a leader of Kataib Hezbollah and two of his guards was hit by the strike.
The result: all three perished.
The Pentagon stated that this commander was in charge of orchestrating attacks on American forces in the area.
The US has tied the militia to a drone assault in Jordan, which claimed the lives of three US soldiers just last month.
Following that assault, Kataib Hezbollah declared a halt to attacks on American troops to avoid causing trouble for the Iraqi government.
The drone strike occurred Wednesday night in Baghdad’s Mashtal neighborhood, causing multiple loud explosions.
It was a precise hit on a moving vehicle on a bustling street, leaving the car in ruins and engulfed in flames.
Among the casualties was Abu Baqir al-Saadi, identified as a senior commander in Kataib Hezbollah.
US Central Command (Centcom) confirmed that the strike, which took place at 21:30 local time (18:30 GMT), eliminated the “commander responsible for directly planning and participating in attacks on US forces in the region.”
Centcom stated, “There are no indications of collateral damage or civilian casualties at this time.”
Upon arrival at the scene, a BBC team encountered protesting crowds chanting, “America is the biggest devil.”
The area was heavily policed, with SWAT teams from Iraq’s interior ministry present.
The BBC team attempted to approach the burnt-out vehicle but was deterred by onlookers who insisted that journalists were unwelcome.
“You are foreigners,” shouted one man, adding, “and foreigners are to blame for this.”
This raid follows closely on the heels of the US launching 85 strikes in the Iraq-Syria border region in retaliation for the drone attack on American troops in Jordan on January 28.
President Joe Biden characterized last Friday’s barrage of attacks as merely the start of the US response.
The drone strike in the Iraqi capital represents a significant escalation, indicating that the American strategy now targets not only infrastructure but also senior leaders of these groups.
Shortly after the attack on Wednesday, militias in the region called for retaliation against the US.
Harakat al Nujaba, another group accused of targeting American troops, issued a statement vowing “targeted retaliation,” asserting that “these crimes will not go unpunished,” according to AFP.
On January 4, the US conducted an airstrike in Baghdad that killed a senior leader of Harakat al Nujaba.
Since the start of the Israel-Gaza war on October 7, American forces have endured over 165 rocket and drone strikes.
The Pentagon reports having around 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in neighboring Syria, engaged in combating the Islamic State terrorist group.
Additionally, the US military has launched recent attacks against the Iran-aligned Houthi group in Yemen in response to assaults on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
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