U.S. Military Forces on Alert in Iraq Due to “Threat of Iran-Backed Forces”
The CENTCOM spokesman stated that U.S. military forces in Iraq are on full alert due to the “threat of Iran-backed forces.” Earlier, the deputy commander of anti-ISIS operations had reported no increase in “threats” from these forces in Iraq and Syria.
U.S. military forces in Iraq have heightened their security alerts due to what they call a threat to American soldiers from Iran-backed forces.
Bill Urban, spokesman for U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), said on Tuesday, May 14, that American military units in Iraq are on “full alert.”
According to Reuters, the American military official also announced that U.S. intelligence organizations and their allies have obtained information indicating “serious threats.”
The CENTCOM spokesman, emphasizing that U.S. military forces are at the highest level of alert, added that the United States is monitoring these “serious threats.”
This senior American military official effectively contradicted statements by General Chris Ghika, a British general and deputy commander of anti-ISIS operations.
Chris Ghika had said the previous day that “we have not seen an increase in threats from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria.” General Ghika, however, shortly afterward, when responding to journalists’ questions, was unwilling to reaffirm his earlier statement.
Organizations such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, as an ally force of the Syrian army, as well as the movement known as Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), are among forces backed by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Tensions between the United States and the Islamic Republic have escalated in recent days, particularly following “sabotage operations” on four ships at Fujairah port in the UAE. Saudi Arabia announced that two oil tankers damaged in these explosions belonged to the kingdom.
Following these explosions, the New York Times reported that the U.S. government had considered deploying 120,000 soldiers to the region to counter potential attacks by forces affiliated with the Islamic Republic.
Donald Trump, the U.S. president, dismissed the American newspaper’s report as “fake news,” but at the same time emphasized that if necessary, he would send “even more” military forces to the region.
Meanwhile, the leader of the Islamic Republic has stated that war between Iran and the United States will not occur. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, while noting that neither Iran nor the United States is seeking war, called negotiations with the Trump administration “double poison.”
Source: DW
