US airstrikes on Iran-aligned militias in Syria

At least 17 people were killed in a US airstrike on a route used by Islamic State militants in Syria. The attack on three trucks carrying explosives was carried out in response to missile attacks on US facilities in Iraq.

American warplanes bombed several facilities located at a border checkpoint between Iraq and Syria used by Islamic Republic-backed militias in the early hours of Friday, February 26. Groups such as Kitab Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada were said to be using the route to transport weapons and ammunition.

The Pentagon has described the operation as a response to the continued firing of missiles at American installations and facilities. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the death toll is high, with at least 17 militants killed in the operation.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said, without providing details, that the operation was carried out on the orders of Joe Biden and in response to attacks by Islamic Republic-affiliated militias on American installations and posts on the eastern borders of Syria and Iraq. He did not provide information on casualties or deaths.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (based in London) is a network of Syrian activists opposed to the Assad regime. Due to the news blockade in Syria, its data cannot be independently verified.

In recent days and weeks, US positions in Iraq have been the target of rocket attacks. Washington holds the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (Hashd al-Shaabi) and affiliated factions responsible for such attacks.

A missile attack on Erbil airport recently killed one foreign national and injured five civilians and an American soldier. A group called “Awliya al-Dam” claimed responsibility for the attack. Iran denied any involvement or participation in the attack on Erbil airport.

In late February, the Balad military base, which houses American soldiers and contractors, was targeted for the umpteenth time by three Katyusha rockets.

The base is located 64 kilometers north of Baghdad and south of Salahuddin province and has previously been hit by mortars or missiles.

Source: DW