The bombardment comes at the direction of President Joe Biden, the second time he has ordered such strikes, raising concern that he’s authorising unilateral attacks without taking Congress on board.
The Pentagon has announced that the US has bombed "facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups" on the Iraq-Syria border, which it said were authorised by President Joe Biden following ongoing attacks on American personnel.
This is the second time Biden has approved air strikes against an armed group since he took office earlier this year. The first such Biden-authorised bombing operation was carried out in February, also against the Iran-backed militias in Syria.
The targets – two in Syria, one in Iraq – were selected because "these facilities are utilised by Iran-backed militias that are engaged in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attacks against US personnel and facilities in Iraq," Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said on Sunday.
Iraq's Hashd al Shaabi or Population Mobilisation Units (PMU) paramilitary alliance said on Monday that the air strikes "resulted in the martyrdom of a group of heroic fighters" and threatened revenge.
"...We are fully ready... to respond and take revenge," said PMU.
It remains unclear how many people were killed or injured in the air strikes.
One monitor said the strikes had killed at least five Iran-backed militia fighters.
Sources from PMU told AFP four of the group's fighters had been killed in one raid in Iraq's vast western province of Al Anbar, a number also reported in Arab news.
Syria's state-run SANA news agency said one child was killed and at least 3 others were injured.
The Pentagon said it had conducted retaliatory targeted air strikes against "facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups" on the Iraq-Syria border.
US forces in Iraq have come under repeated attack in recent months, with the US consistently blaming Iran-linked Iraqi factions for rocket and other attacks against Iraqi installations housing its personnel.
I expect to be briefed tomorrow on the air strikes on the Iraq-Syria border. My statement tonight. pic.twitter.com/iSLBGUOAb2
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) June 28, 2021
US politicians alarmed
Some American politicians and experts, including US Senator Chris Murphy, expressed concern that the Biden administration went ahead with the attack without taking lawmakers into confidence.
"My concern is that the pace of activity directed at US forces and the repeated retaliatory strikes against Iranian proxy forces are starting to look like what would qualify as a pattern of hostilities under the War Powers Act," he tweeted.
The US attack comes just a day after the PMU – an Iran-backed umbrella organisation dominated by Iraqi Shia militias – showcased tanks and drones in a parade near Baghdad that was attended by senior officials.
The US just illegally bombed #Iraq & #Syria…again. Please stop saying you’re keeping our troops safe, if you want them safe, bring them home. Stop illegally occupying & bombing other countries & call it self-defense. pic.twitter.com/XgkCs2mVKu
— Assal Rad (@AssalRad) June 28, 2021
Tit for tat
Since the start of the year, there have been more than 40 attacks against US forces in Iraq, where 2,500 American troops are deployed as part of an international coalition to fight the Daesh.
The vast majority have been bombs against logistics convoys, while 14 were rocket attacks, some of them claimed by pro-Iran factions that aim to pressure Washington into withdrawing all their troops.
The strikes come one day after Iraqi officials said three explosives-laden drones hit near the northern Iraqi city of Erbil, where the United States has a consulate.
In April, a drone packed with explosives hit the coalition's Iraq headquarters in the military part of the airport in Erbil.
The tactic poses a headache for the coalition, as drones can evade air defences.
"As demonstrated by this evening's strikes, President Biden has been clear that he will act to protect US personnel," Kirby said.
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(With input from news agency language)
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