Seoul Gazette - US-Saudi strikes in Iraq kill 20, including Iranians

The United States and Saudi Arabia said they had struck Iran-backed armed militants in Iraq in response to attacks on US forces and Saudi oil facilities.

Washington and Tehran are Iraq's main allies, but their enmity has long turned the country into a proxy battleground and left successive governments struggling to maintain a delicate balance between the foes.

The Hashed al-Shaabi, also known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), said that at least 20 fighters "were martyred and another 32 wounded according to a preliminary toll".

Two Hashed officials told AFP that five Iranian advisors were among those killed in a strike in the central province of Diyala.

AFP correspondents saw coffins wrapped in Iranian flags during a funeral organised by the Hashed al-Shaabi in Baghdad for those killed.

The Hashed alliance was created in 2014 to fight jihadists before it was formally integrated into the Iraqi armed forces.

It now includes brigades belonging to Iran-backed groups reputed for acting unilaterally.

US President Donald Trump said the strikes were coordinated with the Iraqi government, according to Fox News.

They follow growing US pressure on Baghdad to disarm pro-Iran armed groups, which have frequently targeted US facilities in the country and have long called for the withdrawal of US troops.

Iraq's new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who came to power this year with Washington's blessing, vowed to ensure those groups would hand over their weapons, but has faced pushback from some powerful factions.

Earlier this month, Zaidi visited both the United States and Iran.

- 'Inevitable response' -

The strikes came after Riyadh said its forces had intercepted drones targeting oil facilities, blaming the Iran-backed groups in Iraq.

The most active pro-Iran armed groups are united under an alliance known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which has acted in support of Tehran during the Middle East war, claiming hundreds of attacks against US bases in Iraq and across the region.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq said "our response to the American enemy is inevitable, and may target its tools in Saudi Arabia".

But the group added that it would only retaliate after the Arbaeen day of pilgrimage, which falls on Tuesday.

The Arbaeen marks one of the most significant events in the Shia Muslim calendar, during which pilgrims, many from Iran, flock to Iraq to visit the holy shrines.

The pro-Iran groups denied attacking Saudi Arabia and they haven't claimed any attacks since the US-Iran war resumed earlier this month.

- Violation -

Iraq denounced the US-Saudi strikes and said it rejects "all acts of aggression, regardless of the party responsible or the justifications presented."

The Ministerial Council for National Security said it would "confront any violation of Iraq's sovereignty, and prevent any source from using Iraqi territory to threaten neighbouring states".

It reaffirmed its commitment to ensure the state's monopoly over weapons.

Zaidi's government has given those groups that Washington designates as terrorist organisations until September 30 to disarm.

Oil-rich Iraq has been trying to move past decades of war and unrest, but it remains vulnerable to regional and internal flare-ups.

V.Pyo--SG