The militias organized under the umbrella of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq framed their attacks on American personnel as a protest against the Israeli military campaign in Gaza and American support for it.
The latest strike is sure to spark anger in Iraq, where the government in Baghdad strongly objected to the bloodshed and complained that it occurred amid fighting between the United States and groups armed and trained by Iran.
Loud explosions were heard across the capital on Wednesday evening. The Iraqi army later announced that a civilian car had been targeted in the Al-Mashtal neighborhood, east of Baghdad, killing all its passengers, who were not identified. Crowds later gathered around the jeep, which turned black, and at one point security officers removed a body from under the vehicle.
Last week, U.S. forces struck 85 targets in Iraq and Syria, destroying or damaging nearly all of them, officials said. The Iraqi government subsequently reported civilian casualties and summoned a senior US diplomat to issue a formal note of protest. The Iraqi Foreign Ministry said that civilians were killed in the strikes and that Iraq did not want to be an arena for “settling scores between rival countries.”
Administration officials said they would take all necessary measures to protect American forces. On Sunday, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby implored the Iraqi government to “move more quickly” in addressing threats to the nearly 3,500 US military personnel stationed in the country and neighboring Syria.
“Three Americans were killed, three soldiers; “Three families are now grieving,” Kirby told Fox News. “The president is not going to sit back and take this idly by. “We are going to respond.”
Fahim reported from Baghdad.
