On Friday (February 2), the leader of the Al-Nujaba armed group in Iraq, Akram Al-Kaabi, said they would not comply with this week's decision by Kataib Hezbollah to suspend operations against US forces in the region.
Accordingly, Al-Kaabi declared that attacks against the US will not stop until the US military withdraws from Iraq and Israel's military operations in Gaza end.
Sheikh Akram Al-Kaabi, leader of the Al-Nujaba militant group. Photo: EPA-EFE
The comments came after a drone attack on Tower 22, a small US outpost in Jordan near the Syrian border, killed three US soldiers. It was the most serious of several attacks on US forces in the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7, and the first to result in US military casualties.
The US government has approved and implemented a military retaliation plan, warning that it will respond strongly and deploy all necessary measures to protect soldiers.
However, Al-Kaabi said that the US warnings would not threaten the Al-Nujaba militant group. Al-Kaabi is listed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) by the US.
Iran, meanwhile, has denied any involvement in the attacks on US military facilities by the Islamic State group, insisting it operates independently. Iran has repeatedly said it does not seek conflict. On Friday (February 2), Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said his country would not wage any war but would “respond strongly to bullies.”
Since the Israel-Hamas conflict erupted in Gaza on October 7, U.S. forces have been attacked about 166 times in Iraq and Syria, U.S. officials said. The U.S. has also carried out a series of attacks in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Meanwhile, Houthi forces in Yemen continue to attack U.S. interests despite repeated airstrikes by U.S. and British forces.
Last month, a US strike in Iraq killed two members of the Al-Nujaba group, including a prominent commander of the group who was actively involved in planning and carrying out attacks against US troops.
Hoai Phuong (according to CNN)
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