US hits Kata’ib Hezbollah weapon storage sites in Iraq

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) – The U.S. conducted strikes against pro-Iranian militia Kata’ib Hezbollah's facilities in Iraq, the Pentagon said Thursday.

"These strikes targeted five weapon storage facilities to significantly degrade their ability to conduct future attacks against Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) coalition forces," the Department of Defense said in a statement.

It said the targets included facilities that housed weapons used to target U.S. and coalition troops on Wednesday which left two American troops and one British serviceman dead.

At least 14 others were injured when some 30 rockets were fired at Camp Taji, an Iraqi base north of Baghdad.

"The United States will not tolerate attacks against our people, our interests, or our allies," Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in the same statement. "As we have demonstrated in recent months, we will take any action necessary to protect our forces in Iraq and the region."

Several local Iraqi media outlets reported that the U.S. targeted Iraq's Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) forces and Hezbollah group in Babil, Karbala, Saladin, Anbar and other provinces.

Iraqi authorities have yet to issue a statement on the strikes.

Hashd al-Shaabi is an umbrella group of armed Shia factions. Leaders of some of these groups are closely affiliated with Iran. The group has been officially subordinated to the Iraqi military.

*Gozde Bayar in Ankara contributed to this story