Iraq: US kills 24 militants of Iran-linked group

BAGHDAD

The death toll from weekend attacks by U.S. forces on positions of an Iran-backed militia group in Iraq and Syria has risen to 25, an Iraqi source said Monday.

Jawad Kadhim Al-Rabaiwi, senior leader of Hashd al-Shaabi -- an umbrella group for various militias -- said in a statement that 25 people were killed and another 51 were injured as a result of the attacks, adding there are fears that the death toll could rise.

U.S. forces on Sunday struck five Iraqi Hezbollah positions in Iraq and Syria.

The "defensive strikes" against the Kataib Hezbollah militia group came in response to rocket attacks Friday on an Iraqi base that hosts U.S. coalition forces fighting Daesh/ISIS.

Three locations in Iraq and two in Syria were targeted, according to chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman.

They included weapon storage facilities and command and control locations which were claimed to be used to plan and carry out attacks on anti-Daesh coalition forces.

The strikes will "degrade" Kataib Hezbollah's ability to conduct future attacks against coalition forces, Hoffman said.

Iran and its Kataib Hezbollah "proxy forces must cease their attacks on U.S. and coalition forces and respect Iraq's sovereignty to prevent additional defensive actions by U.S. forces," he added.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters after a briefing with President Donald Trump on Sunday that the step taken by Washington in Iraq demonstrates U.S. determination to give Iran "a clear answer" if it threatens the lives of American soldiers.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who also joined the briefing, termed the offensive "successful," adding he informed Trump about the necessity of additional actions.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the U.S. attacks, describing them as “a clear example of terror."

“The U.S. should respect the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq and stop interfering in its internal affairs,” ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said in a statement.

“These attacks have once again proved the falsehood of the U.S. claims to fight the Daesh/ISIS group, as the U.S. has targeted positions of forces that have been fighting Daesh/ISIS terrorists over the past years.”

Iraq’s Foreign Ministry also condemned the attack, calling it “a clear violation of Iraq’s sovereignty.”

"Iraq is an independent country. Its internal security is of utmost importance. It will not be allowed to turn the country into a battlefield or a crossing point for an attack, or its territories to be used to target neighboring countries," it said, adding the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad would be summoned to deliver the statement.

On Friday, one U.S. civilian contractor was killed and several U.S. service members and Iraqi personnel were injured in a rocket attack on the K1 military base in Iraq’s northern city of Kirkuk.

*Beyza Binnur Donmez and Sibel Morrow from Ankara contributed to the story