The United States did it failed to inform the Iraqi government before carrying out airstrikes in the country on Friday, contrary to what the White House claimed.
White House national security spokesman, retired Adm. John Kirby, spoke on a press call Friday. said“We informed the Iraqi government before the strikes.”
On Monday, in response to questions from The Intercept, the White House said the Iraqis had no advance warning of the strikes.
“For operational security reasons, we have not provided any sort of official advance notification containing specific details of these strikes,” a National Security Council spokesperson acknowledged.
At Monday’s State Department press conference, spokesperson Vedant Patel also acknowledged that the Iraqis had not received warning. (The State Department referred questions from The Intercept to the White House.)
The Iraqi government denied that the United States provided any warning and said the strikes killed several civilians. On Saturday, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry delivered an official note of protest to the charge d’affaires of the American embassy in Baghdad, denouncing “American aggression.”
“Iraq also underlined its refusal to be a ground for settling scores between rival countries, because our country is not a place for sending messages and demonstrating force between adversaries,” we can read in the meeting press release. said.
The US airstrikes came in response to attacks by local militant groups in Iraq and Syria. Iran-backed groups have stepped up attacks on US targets in the region since the start of Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip.
The United States maintains a force of about 2,500 troops in Iraq, a nominal U.S. ally with close ties to neighboring Iran. The U.S. presence, at the invitation of Iraq, is part of an effort to keep remnants of the Islamic State at bay.
Last month, a coalition of Iranian-backed militias took responsibility for a drone attack on a US base in Jordan that resulted in the deaths of three US service members, a strike they said was motivated by U.S. support for Israel, as The Intercept reported. Previously reported.
Last week’s U.S. retaliation focused on 85 targets, marking the largest attack on Iranian-backed militias since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza.
Despite growing tensions in the region, the Biden administration has struggled to assert that its strikes are not part of Israel’s war on Gaza.
“I completely disagree with your description of ‘the same larger conflict,’” Kirby said in response to a question about regional fighting. Although he was not asked about Israel’s war, Kirby added: “There is an ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. »
