Above photo: Twitter/X.
A US drone strike in Baghdad killed Kataib Hezbollah commander Abu Baqir al-Saadi.
Despite the faction pledging to stop attacks on US bases.
Iraqi army spokesman Major General Yahya Rasoul on 8 February condemned the targeted assassination of Kataib Hezbollah leader Abu Baqir al-Saadi, calling out Washington for continuing to sow instability in the country.
The strike on Wednesday night was carried out “in a manner that disregarded the lives of Iraqi civilians or international laws,” Rasoul said, adding that the US “repeatedly commits acts that undermine the understandings and the start of bilateral dialogue.”
Earlier this month, Kataib Hezbollah became the only member of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) umbrella group to announce the suspension of anti-US operations, reportedly under pressure from Baghdad.
The head of Iraq’s Security Media Cell and spokesman for the Joint Operations Command, Major General Tahseen al-Khafaji, also condemned Wednesday’s drone attack on a member of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU).
“This new aggression weakens all understandings after it was confirmed that the US targeted a vehicle belonging to the PMU with a drone,” he said.
“This targeting is a clear aggression and a violation of Iraqi sovereignty and dragging the region into dangerous repercussions. We also hold the US and the coalition forces responsible for the repercussions of these dangerous actions that threaten the security and safety of the country and damage all talks that are taking place between both sides,” Khafaji added.
Soon after the strike, Iraqi citizens took to the streets to protest the US aggression.
The drone strike came hours after Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced that Baghdad severed contact with Washington after 3 February, when the US army targeted 85 locations across the country, killing 17 and injuring over two dozen, including civilians.
The attack came in response to the Iraqi resistance’s killing of three US soldiers near the Syria-Jordan border last month.
Baghdad has been exerting diplomatic pressure to facilitate a withdrawal of US combat forces from the country. However, the US has pushed back and publicly said the talks are not aimed at bringing about a US withdrawal.
The Asaib Ahl al-Haq resistance faction leader, Kais al-Khazali, called after the attack for all Iraqis to unite against Washington.