Skip to main content

Iraqi Kurdistan government denies letting US bomb Iran-backed militia

An official from an Iran-backed militia in Iraq accused the Kurdistan Regional Government of allowing the United States to launch bombing runs from Erbil.

SAFIN HAMED/AFP via Getty Images
Members of the Iraqi-Kurdish Peshmerga forces inspect a humvee during a handover and US military and logistic assistance distribution ceremony to the Peshmerga Ministry of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in the Erbil the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq, on Nov. 10, 2020. — SAFIN HAMED/AFP via Getty Images

The Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq has denied claims that US warplanes took off from its capital Erbil to bomb Iran-backed militias in the country.

Early Monday morning, US fighter jets bombed Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada positions on the western Iraq-eastern Syria border. Both groups are Iraqi militias that receive support from Iran. The groups and allied “resistance” militias have been in conflict with the US military for more than a year, and seek to expel US forces from Iraq. The latest US airstrikes led to an attack on US positions in Syria Monday night.

Subscribe for unlimited access

All news, events, memos, reports, and analysis, and access all 10 of our newsletters. Learn more

$14 monthly or $100 annually ($8.33/month)
OR

Continue reading this article for free

All news, events, memos, reports, and analysis, and access all 10 of our newsletters. Learn more.

By signing up, you agree to Al-Monitor’s Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. Already have an account? Log in