We will defend ourselves against militia attacks, US-led coalition spokesperson says
"They’re attacking us, and the coalition is in Iraq at the invitation of the government of Iraq to defeat Daesh (ISIS) and its remnants."
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Col. Wayne Marotto, the spokesperson for the US-led coalition, said that while the coalition will not attack outlaw militia groups, it reserves the right of self-defense against threats like the drone attack that targeted the coalition base in Erbil International Airport on Saturday night.
Col. Marotto, in an exclusive interview given on Sunday evening, said that he can confirm that at approximately 11:43 pm on September 11, coalition forces at the Erbil Air Base were attacked by two unmanned aerial systems (UAS) or drones, and the coalition used force protection countermeasures to shoot them down.
“One UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) impacted inside the perimeter and one UAS impacted outside of the perimeter, and there are no injuries or property damage,” he said.
Read More: US-led coalition confirms that Erbil airport was attacked by two drones
He warned that any attack against the Iraqi government, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and the coalition “undermines the authority of Iraqi institutions, rule of law, and Iraqi National Sovereignty.”
“These attacks endanger the lives of civilians, partner forces, ISF (Iraqi Security Forces), Peshmerga and the coalition forces,” he said. “As of right now, no one has taken responsibility for the attack, but it’s obvious that these hostile outlaw militia groups continue to plan and attack the US and coalition forces.”
However, he added that the coalition is not fighting “anyone but Daesh (ISIS), and we do not seek conflict with any other groups.
“We and our partner forces maintain the inherent right of self-defense and we have demonstrated that capability.”
Any action taken against such threats “are in collective defense of the US coalition forces and our Iraqi partners.”
“So again, the coalition is not attacking these outlaw militia groups,” Col. Marotto said. “They’re attacking us, and the coalition is in Iraq at the invitation of the government of Iraq to defeat Daesh and its remnants.”
The Iran-backed Iraqi militias behind the drone attacks that targeted Erbil airport on Saturday and other occasions throughout this year have repeatedly demanded that US troops leave the country. The US withdrawal from Afghanistan after just under 20 years has fueled speculation that the US could soon pull its troops out of Iraq and Syria.
In July, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and US President Joe Biden agreed that US combat troops will leave Iraq by the end of 2021.
“So, what I can say is that coalition troops are in Iraq at the invitation of the government of Iraq, and the timing of the redeployment of remaining combat forces from Iraq has been determined and established by their Prime Minister of Iraq and the President United States to be at the end of this year,” Col. Marotto said.
US officials have also stressed that coalition forces will not leave Iraq or Syria. In Iraq, their mission will strictly focus on training and advising local forces, not combat.
“So the mission of OIR (Operation Inherent Resolve, the coalition against ISIS) has not changed,” Col. Marotto said. “And the relatively small number of US forces that remain in Iraq, advise, equip, and enable Iraqi forces, who now lead the fight against Daesh.”
The battle against ISIS is not over yet.
“At one point, they had 110,000 square kilometers of territory and they ruled over 8 million people. Today, they have no territory other than some big caves and tunnels in the Makhmour mountains where their so-called caliphate is at,” Col. Marotto said.
“So, the ISF (Iraqi Security Forces) and the Peshmerga, with the support of the Coalition, have taken the fight to Daesh they have defeated them territorially but we will just remain here to ensure the enduring defeat of Daesh.”
“Daesh is down but not out, and we are pleased that the Iraqi Security Forces have now moved into the lead where once the Coalition was fighting beside them on the ground,” he added.
He also said that the Iraqis are now “fighting themselves” and that over the years, both the Iraqi Security Forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga “have shown that they can take the fight to Daesh, and they can win.”
He reiterated that the coalition forces’ continued presence in Iraq strictly hinges on the Iraqi government’s invitation.
“If the government of Iraq, the Prime Minister, does not want coalition forces here, then we’ll leave,” he said.
