9 minutes agoUS boosts number of troops in Middle East following embassy attack in Baghdad
Periskopi(6 years ago)
(6 years ago)The United States warned additional troops in the Middle East after hundreds of protesters attacked its embassy complex in Iraq, setting fires and cheering “Death for America!” Angered by US air strikes that killed 25 militia members Sunday, supporters of the Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitary group (The People's Mobile Forces) were [...]
Angered by US air strikes that killed 25 members of the militia on Sunday, supporters of the paramilitary group Hasd al-Shaabi (The People's Mobile Forces) gathered through checkpoints in the Green Zone on Tuesday, demanding the departure of American troops from Iraq.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the attack was orchestrated by terrorists, one of whom he named Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
Al-Muhandis has been identified as the second command of the Tehran-backed Hashd al-Shaabi group, which includes Kataib Hezbollah, the group that was hit in US air strikes.
Defence Secretary Mark Esper said in a statement that around 750 troops from an 82nd Air Division rapid reaction unit are prepared to deploy over the next few days in the region, Kosovo Presses broadcast.
This deployment is a proper and preventative action undertaken in response to increased levels of threats to American personnel and facilities, as we have seen today in Baghdad,” he said.
A post in social media by American Marines said that troops from its command for crisis response in Kuwait were deployed in Iraq.
The deployment of 750 soldiers is in addition to the 14,000 US troops who have been deployed to the Gulf region since May in response to concerns about Iran, and reports of trade transport attacks in the Gulf.
At the time of the attack, the US had about 5,200 troops in Iraq, mainly to train Iraqi forces and help them fight Group I SIS.
Meanwhile, an American official, who provided unattainable details to the Associated Press news agency under anonymity, said the entire brigade of about 4,000 soldiers could be deployed.
On Sunday, the US launched air strikes on pages in Iraq and Syria belonging to Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militant group that Washington said was in retaliation for the murder of an American contractor.
Kataib Hezbollah, through its spokesman Mohammed Muji, denied having carried out the attack on the US Embassy.
Responding to the attack, US President Donald Trump said he holds Tehran “fully responsible” for the incident and said protesters “would fully take responsibility”.
Besides, we expect Iraq to use its forces to protect the Embassy, and so announced! ”
Trump later warned in a separate statement that Tehran would pay a huge price “following the attack.
