Accessibility links

Breaking News

US: Attacks on American Troops in Iraq ‘Will Not Be Tolerated’ 


An Army carry team places the transfer case containing the remains of Army Spc. Juan Miguel Mendez Covarrubias, into a transfer vehicle, March 15, 2020, at Dover Air Force Base, Del.
An Army carry team places the transfer case containing the remains of Army Spc. Juan Miguel Mendez Covarrubias, into a transfer vehicle, March 15, 2020, at Dover Air Force Base, Del.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Iraqi Prime Minister Abdel Abdul Mahdi Monday that those responsible for a deadly attack on a military base last week must be held accountable.

“Discussed the deadly attacks on #Iraq’s Camp Taji military base with Prime Minister @AdilAbdAlMahdi. These actions will not be tolerated and the groups responsible must be held accountable by the Government of Iraq,” Pompeo tweeted Monday.

Two American service members and a British medic were killed when Iraqi base Camp Taji came under a rocket attack last Wednesday. At least fourteen others were injured.

U.S. retaliatory strikes late Thursday and early Friday hit five weapons depots of the Iranian-backed group Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq.

Iraqi army soldiers inspect the destruction at an airport complex under construction in Karbala, Iraq, March 13, 2020. Iraq's military said five security force members and a civilian were killed early Friday in a barrage of U.S. airstrikes.
Iraqi army soldiers inspect the destruction at an airport complex under construction in Karbala, Iraq, March 13, 2020. Iraq's military said five security force members and a civilian were killed early Friday in a barrage of U.S. airstrikes.

The commander who oversees U.S. operations in the Middle East warned that the threat from Iran and its proxies “remains high.”

In a statement, the Pentagon described the strikes in Iraq as "defensive” and “proportional.”

Iraq’s Joint Operations Command called the U.S. strikes a “blatant attack” in a tweet Friday.

Cindy Saine contributed to this report.

  • 16x9 Image

    VOA News

    The Voice of America provides news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of over 326 million people. Stories with the VOA News byline are the work of multiple VOA journalists and may contain information from wire service reports.

XS
SM
MD
LG