SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Iraqi soldiers carry the coffins of fighters killed in a U.S. strike south of Baghdad on November 22, 2023.
(Photo: Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP via Getty Images)
'Dangerous Escalation': Iraqi Government Condemns US Airstrikes
A spokesperson for Iraq's government called the strikes "a clear violation of sovereignty."
Nov 22, 2023
The Iraqi government on Wednesday condemned deadly U.S. airstrikes south of Baghdad as "a clear violation of sovereignty" that risks escalating regional tensions amid Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip.
The Pentagon said the U.S. strikes targeted two facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi militia group that the U.S. considers an Iranian proxy. The group, which the U.S. has accused of carrying out an attack on American forces at Iraq's al-Asad Airbase, said eight of its fighters were killed in the early Wednesday strikes and pledged to retaliate.
Bassem al-Awadi, a spokesperson for Iraq's government, said the U.S. launched the strikes without any coordination with Iraqi officials, a decision that he called "a dangerous escalation" and "an attempt to disrupt the stable internal security situation."
Al-Awadi also denounced "any armed action or activity outside the military institution is deemed condemnable and an unlawful endeavor that jeopardizes the national interest," an apparent reference to militia attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq.
The U.S. airstrikes came just over 24 hours after an American gunship launched an attack on what the Pentagon described as "an Iranian-backed militia vehicle and a number of Iranian-backed militia personnel" in Iraq, purportedly targeting militants who were involved in a ballistic missile strike on U.S. forces.
The missile attack "resulted in non-serious injuries to U.S. and coalition forces, as well as minor damage to infrastructure on the installation," the Pentagon said.
"One thing is clear: Only through a cease-fire can we prevent the conflict from spreading and leading to a devastating regional war that sucks the U.S. into it."
Attacks on the thousands of U.S. forces stationed in Iraq and Syria have intensified since Israel began its latest devastating bombing campaign in Gaza on October 7, when a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel killed around 1,200 people. Israel and Hamas have agreed to a four-day pause that's set to begin on Thursday.
In recent weeks, the U.S. has carried out three separate series of airstrikes in Syria, actions it has described as defensive responses to rocket and drone attacks that have injured dozens of American forces since last month. None of the U.S. strikes were approved by Congress.
The bombings have intensified fears of a full-scale regional conflict potentially involving the U.S., Israel, Iran, Syria, Lebanon's Hezbollah, and Hamas militants in Gaza. Iran's foreign minister recently warned that "expansion of the scope of the war has become inevitable" due to the severity of Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip.
Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, argued Tuesday that "one thing is clear: Only through a cease-fire can we prevent the conflict from spreading and leading to a devastating regional war that sucks the U.S. into it."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The Iraqi government on Wednesday condemned deadly U.S. airstrikes south of Baghdad as "a clear violation of sovereignty" that risks escalating regional tensions amid Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip.
The Pentagon said the U.S. strikes targeted two facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi militia group that the U.S. considers an Iranian proxy. The group, which the U.S. has accused of carrying out an attack on American forces at Iraq's al-Asad Airbase, said eight of its fighters were killed in the early Wednesday strikes and pledged to retaliate.
Bassem al-Awadi, a spokesperson for Iraq's government, said the U.S. launched the strikes without any coordination with Iraqi officials, a decision that he called "a dangerous escalation" and "an attempt to disrupt the stable internal security situation."
Al-Awadi also denounced "any armed action or activity outside the military institution is deemed condemnable and an unlawful endeavor that jeopardizes the national interest," an apparent reference to militia attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq.
The U.S. airstrikes came just over 24 hours after an American gunship launched an attack on what the Pentagon described as "an Iranian-backed militia vehicle and a number of Iranian-backed militia personnel" in Iraq, purportedly targeting militants who were involved in a ballistic missile strike on U.S. forces.
The missile attack "resulted in non-serious injuries to U.S. and coalition forces, as well as minor damage to infrastructure on the installation," the Pentagon said.
"One thing is clear: Only through a cease-fire can we prevent the conflict from spreading and leading to a devastating regional war that sucks the U.S. into it."
Attacks on the thousands of U.S. forces stationed in Iraq and Syria have intensified since Israel began its latest devastating bombing campaign in Gaza on October 7, when a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel killed around 1,200 people. Israel and Hamas have agreed to a four-day pause that's set to begin on Thursday.
In recent weeks, the U.S. has carried out three separate series of airstrikes in Syria, actions it has described as defensive responses to rocket and drone attacks that have injured dozens of American forces since last month. None of the U.S. strikes were approved by Congress.
The bombings have intensified fears of a full-scale regional conflict potentially involving the U.S., Israel, Iran, Syria, Lebanon's Hezbollah, and Hamas militants in Gaza. Iran's foreign minister recently warned that "expansion of the scope of the war has become inevitable" due to the severity of Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip.
Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, argued Tuesday that "one thing is clear: Only through a cease-fire can we prevent the conflict from spreading and leading to a devastating regional war that sucks the U.S. into it."
The Iraqi government on Wednesday condemned deadly U.S. airstrikes south of Baghdad as "a clear violation of sovereignty" that risks escalating regional tensions amid Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip.
The Pentagon said the U.S. strikes targeted two facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi militia group that the U.S. considers an Iranian proxy. The group, which the U.S. has accused of carrying out an attack on American forces at Iraq's al-Asad Airbase, said eight of its fighters were killed in the early Wednesday strikes and pledged to retaliate.
Bassem al-Awadi, a spokesperson for Iraq's government, said the U.S. launched the strikes without any coordination with Iraqi officials, a decision that he called "a dangerous escalation" and "an attempt to disrupt the stable internal security situation."
Al-Awadi also denounced "any armed action or activity outside the military institution is deemed condemnable and an unlawful endeavor that jeopardizes the national interest," an apparent reference to militia attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq.
The U.S. airstrikes came just over 24 hours after an American gunship launched an attack on what the Pentagon described as "an Iranian-backed militia vehicle and a number of Iranian-backed militia personnel" in Iraq, purportedly targeting militants who were involved in a ballistic missile strike on U.S. forces.
The missile attack "resulted in non-serious injuries to U.S. and coalition forces, as well as minor damage to infrastructure on the installation," the Pentagon said.
"One thing is clear: Only through a cease-fire can we prevent the conflict from spreading and leading to a devastating regional war that sucks the U.S. into it."
Attacks on the thousands of U.S. forces stationed in Iraq and Syria have intensified since Israel began its latest devastating bombing campaign in Gaza on October 7, when a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel killed around 1,200 people. Israel and Hamas have agreed to a four-day pause that's set to begin on Thursday.
In recent weeks, the U.S. has carried out three separate series of airstrikes in Syria, actions it has described as defensive responses to rocket and drone attacks that have injured dozens of American forces since last month. None of the U.S. strikes were approved by Congress.
The bombings have intensified fears of a full-scale regional conflict potentially involving the U.S., Israel, Iran, Syria, Lebanon's Hezbollah, and Hamas militants in Gaza. Iran's foreign minister recently warned that "expansion of the scope of the war has become inevitable" due to the severity of Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip.
Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, argued Tuesday that "one thing is clear: Only through a cease-fire can we prevent the conflict from spreading and leading to a devastating regional war that sucks the U.S. into it."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.