U.S. Conducts Airstrikes in Syria and Iraq Against Iranian-Backed Militias
June 28, 2021 | International
WASHINGTON—The U.S. conducted airstrikes in Syria and Iraq against two Iranian-backed militias that the Pentagon said were mounting drone attacks against U.S. troops.
The Pentagon said operational and weapons-storage facilities had been struck near the Syria-Iraq border at three locations that it said had been used by the Kata’ib Hezbollah and Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada militia groups.
“The United States took necessary, appropriate and deliberate action designed to limit the risk of escalation—but also to send a clear and unambiguous deterrent message,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.
Sabreen, a news agency in Iraq that supports Iranian-allied militias, said that U.S. airstrikes killed four members of the paramilitaries known collectively as the Popular Mobilization Forces on a military base in Iraq’s Anbar province. The agency published the names and photos of the four, including three wearing military-style uniforms.
The agency also released photos showing what it said were artillery pieces damaged in the airstrikes.
The action—which occurred at around 6 p.m. Eastern Time Sunday, or the early hours of Monday in the region—was President Biden’s second use of force in the region. In February, he ordered airstrikes by F-15Es in response to a rocket attack against the U.S. coalition in Erbil, Iraq…
(Excerpts from the Wall Street Journal)
