Iraq’s Kataib Hezbollah armed group, close to Iran, has announced the suspension of all its military operations against US troops in the region, in a decision aimed at preventing “harassment” of the Iraqi government, the group said in a statement.
Three US soldiers were killed in a drone strike near the Jordanian-Syrian border on Sunday that the Pentagon said had “imprints” of Kataib Hezbollah, although a final assessment has yet to be made.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the Iraqi official said Kataib Hezbollah’s decision came after intensive contacts by the Iraqi government with US officials and Iraqi armed groups to prevent escalation after the attack in Jordan.
“It is obvious that what happened was a step too far and put everyone at a crossroads,” said the official.
Founded after the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, Kataib Hezbollah is one of Iraq’s elite armed factions closest to Iran.
It is the most powerful armed faction in the resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Shiite armed groups that have claimed responsibility for more than 150 attacks on US forces since the Gaza war began in October.
The Iraqi government is supported by parties and armed groups close to Iran, but not directly by hardline groups that open fire on American forces, Western and Iraqi officials say.
Baghdad condemned the attacks and also said that the regional escalation of violence will continue as long as the war in Gaza continues.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin vowed on Monday that the US would take “all necessary actions” to defend its troops after a deadly drone strike, even as President Joe Biden’s administration stressed it does not want war with Iran.
photo: Credit: Crop Media/Shutterstock
