A one-way suicide drone on Monday targeted forces of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) based at the Erbil International Airport, wounding three US service members, one critically.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a network of shadow Iraqi militia groups backed by Iran and affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), claimed responsibility for the strike.
The White House identified Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah as responsible for the attack on the American troops, adding that President Joe Biden directed retaliatory strikes against three locations utilized by the group and other affiliated militias “focused specifically on unmanned aerial drone activities.”
“The President places no higher priority than the protection of American personnel serving in harm’s way. The United States will act at a time and in a manner of our choosing should these attacks continue,” read a statement from White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) claimed that the airstrikes “destroyed the targeted facilities and likely killed a number of Kataib Hezbollah militants,” according to early assessments, adding that no civilians were affected.
The retaliatory strikes were carried out at around 8:45pm Monday EST (4:45am Tuesday Baghdad time), according to CENTCOM.
Iran-aligned militia groups have targeted US interests in Iraq and Syria with rockets and drones around 100 times since October 17, in response to the American support for Israel in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The US has repeatedly stated the attacks have been “largely unsuccessful” but stressed that it will not hesitate to take action to ensure the safety of its forces if they are threatened.
“While we do not seek to escalate conflict in the region, we are committed and fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities,” said US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in a statement on Tuesday’s strikes.
Around 2,500 American troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria are leading an international coalition through Operation Inherent Resolve that has assisted Kurdish, Iraqi, and local Syrian forces in the fight against ISIS, which once held swathes of land in Iraq and Syria but was declared territorially defeated in 2019.
Kataib Hezbollah was first designated a terror organization in 2009, accused of attacks on American targets in Iraq.
