Iraq: 3 days of mourning for Iran-backed militiamen killed in US airstrikes
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi government announced on Tuesday a three-day mourning period starting on New Years’ Eve for dozens of Iranian-backed militia fighters that were killed two days before in US airstrikes near the town of al-Qaim, near the Syrian border.
The US launched five strikes on Sunday against facilities belonging to the Kata’ib Hezbollah (KH) group, which is part of the Hashd al-Shaabi militias, also known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). The attacks reportedly killed at least 25 fighters and wounded 55 others.
The operation came in response to an attack on an Iraqi military base outside Kirkuk where American and Iraqi troops are stationed, US officials said, accusing KH of being responsible. PMF militias have carried out rocket attacks with increasing regularity in recent months as tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to simmer.
Iraq’s outgoing prime minister, Adil Abdul Mahdi, condemned the attack, describing it as a “sinful assault” that would have serious consequences.
Later, Abdul Mahdi announced that the official state of general mourning to honor the lives of victims of the American bombing in Al-Qaim, according to a statement issued by the government media office.
Senior PMF commanders have vowed retaliation while calling for the expulsion of US troops from Iraq, who are in the country at the request of Baghdad to fight the so-called Islamic State as part of the international anti-ISIS coalition.
Senior Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr—a self-described nationalist against foreign influence in Iraq—expressed his readiness to seek legal and political means to remove American soldiers from Iraqi territory in response to the attack. Sadr and Iran-aligned militias control the two largest blocs in the national legislature.
On Tuesday afternoon, thousands of PMF supporters marched toward the sprawling American embassy compound in Baghdad to condemn the US airstrikes.
Read More: Iraqi protesters attempt to storm US Embassy in Baghdad in retaliation for airstrikes
A Kurdistan correspondent 24 in Baghdad reported that protesters threw stones at the US embassy gate, while others burned tires around the wall of the compound. Photos showed a glass door separating militia supporters from American soldiers inside the facility.
Embassy guards reportedly fired tear gas at the crowds to prevent them from attacking the building and Iraqi counter-terrorism forces have been deployed at the location.
Among the participants of the gathering were leaders and top officials and commanders of militias within the PMF, including Falih Fayyadh, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Hadi al-Amiri, Qais Khazali, and Abu Alaa al-Wala’i, and others.
Later in the day, Abdul Mahdi vowed that there would be the “most severe” punishments for anyone who attacks the US Embassy
Read More: Iraq's outgoing PM vows 'most severe penalties' for attackers of US Embassy in Baghdad
Editing by John J. Catherine