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Graphic shows location of the U.S. strikes and U.S. military bases in Syria and Iraq.
GN41521EN

MILITARY

U.S. carries out airstrikes in Iraq and Syria

By Jordi Bou

June 28, 2021 - The U.S. has launched a second round of air strikes against Iran-backed militia in Iraq and Syria at the direction of President Joe Biden, this time in response to drone attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq.

The Pentagon said the facilities were used by Iran-backed militia factions, including Kata’ib Hezbollah and Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based group that closely monitors the Syrian conflict through activists on the ground, reported that at least five Iraqi militiamen were killed in the airstrikes.

U.S. military officials have grown increasingly alarmed over drone strikes targeting U.S. military bases in Iraq, which became more common since a U.S.-directed drone killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani near the Baghdad airport last year.

Sunday's strikes mark the second time the Biden administration has taken military action in the region. In February, the U.S. launched airstrikes against facilities in Syria, near the Iraqi border, that it said were used by Iranian-backed militia groups.

The Pentagon said those strikes were retaliation for a rocket attack in Iraq in February that killed one civilian contractor and wounded a U.S. service member and other coalition troops.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 28/06/2021; STORY: Graphic News
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