Iraq’s PMU says US raid hit Iraqi-Syrian border, warns of ‘dangerous incident'

Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) says the recent US raid against its forces was conducted on the Iraqi-Syrian border, and not on the Syrian soil as claimed.

In a statement released on Sunday, the PMU warned that the US aggression is a harbinger of “dangerous incidents” in the future.

“Given the seriousness of this issue and its implications for the sovereignty, security and stability of our beloved country of Iraq, Hashd al-Sha’abi waited for a while for the full narrative of this attack to be completed, and to be confirmed that our fighters were not deep in Syria, in contrast to the narrative provided by US aggressive forces,” said the PMU, which is known in Iraq as Hashd al-Sha’abi.

It added that the PMU forces had been present at the Iraqi-Syrian border in order to protect the Iraqi soil from acts of terrorism.

The statement came days after the US administration of Joe Biden conducted its first illegal military action on the Iraqi-Syrian border to target the facilities of PMU fighters.

Observers compared Biden’s militaristic approach to that of his hawkish predecessor, Donald Trump. The attack killed one and wounded four others.

“Glory and honor belong to that great martyr of ours and all the martyrs of Iraq who bravely stood against terrorism,” said the PMU, which has been fighting the remnants of Daesh terrorist group.

Nujaba: Resistance forces have justified reasons to attack US targets

A spokesman of al-Nujaba movement, which is part of the PMU, said the Iraqi resistance forces from now will have justified reasons to attack US targets in the country, as a result of the US military’s Thursday attack.

“All previous agreements [with the Iraqi government] have been annulled and the resistance now has the right to set its own goals,” Nasr al-Shammari told Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen television news network on Sunday.

Al-Shammari explained that while the resistance considered the US embassy in Iraq as the “den of spies”, it had agreed not to target the embassy.

He criticized the Iraqi government for not providing any explanation about the attack, warning that if the government refuses to introduce the mercenary elements who passed on intelligence about the PMU’s position to the US, the resistance will reserve the right to directly take action.

Earlier, al-Nujaba movement warned that the new US crime that targeted the PMU forces would not go unanswered.

In a statement issued after the US assault, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the raid, authorized by Biden, had been “deliberate” and meant to “de-escalate the overall situation in both eastern Syria and Iraq.”

Kirby also thanked Baghdad for helping with what he called intelligence input, prompting the Iraqi Defense Ministry to deny any role in the US assault.

Iraqi MP urges government to take US to ICC

Meanwhile, a member of the Iraqi parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee has asked the country’s foreign ministry to file a complaint against the US at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

“The US aggression and repeated attacks on Hashd al-Sha’abi forces have led to international condemnation of the US, and Iraq can launch cases against the US at the international arena,” Mukhtar al-Musawi, who is also a former PMU commander, told al-Maalomah news agency on Sunday.

Al-Musawi said the attack must be followed by a measure by the Iraqi government at the highest level to prevent such illegal acts and also activate the expulsion of the US forces from Iraq.

“There has been no move by the government or a real stance on these violations,” he lamented.

US giving pathway to Daesh to infiltrate Iraq

The spokesman of al-Anbar Province’s nomads said Sunday the US is trying to bring the terrorists from Syria to Iraq.

“A recent US airstrike on Iraq’s Hashd al-Sha’abi facilities at the Iraqi-Syrian border was aimed at opening a pathway for Daesh elements to enter Iraq,” Rabah al-Karbouli told al-Maalomah news agency.

Al-Karbouli also called on the Iraqi government to take a decisive stance with regard to the US assault.

Since the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 and its military involvement in Syria, which has been gripped by foreign-backed terrorists since 2011, several terrorist groups such as the infamous Daesh have emerged in the two Arab states.

In reaction to the development, regional resistance forces were unified into groups such as Iraq’s PMU, which has been recognized by the Iraqi parliament as an official force with similar rights as those of the regular army.

The resistance groups defeated Daesh in 2017. They have been regularly targeted by the US military since then.

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