Iraqi Resistance Stresses Right to Target US Interests across Country

Iraq’s Al-Nujaba Islamic Resistance Movement has warned that it reserves the right to attack the US interests on Iraqi soil, following the US airstrikes on resistance positions on the Syrian borders. “All previous agreements [with the government] have been annulled and the resistance now reserves the right to set its own goals,” Nasr Al-Shammari told Al-Mayadin on Sunday. “The resistance, despite considering the US embassy in Baghdad as a den of spies, had agreed not to target it,” he said but stressed, “From now on, it holds the right to attack US targets in this country.” Al-Nujaba spokesman slammed, meanwhile, the Iraqi government for not providing any explanation for the recent attack “If the government refuses to reveal [the identity of] the mercenary elements, the Islamic Resistance will be obliged to deal with those who passed information on Hashd Shabi to the United States,” Al-Shammari said referring to the Iraqi paramilitary force which fought alongside Iraqi Army against ISIL Takfiri terrorists. Late on Thursday, US warplanes struck several targets along the border between Syria and Iraq, targeting positions belonging to Iraqi and Syrian paramilitary forces engaged in counter-terrorism acts. The Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby confirmed the attack, saying it targeted “Iranian-backed” militias. He claimed that Iraqi investigative and intelligence work “helped lead to these successful strikes,” but he later retracted his claims. In a statement carried by the Al-Sumaria television network, Iraq’s Defense Ministry expressed surprise at the US claims about intelligence cooperation with Baghdad prior to Friday’s strike. It said that Iraq’s ties with the US-led coalition forces are restricted to the fight against the ISIL terrorist group while preserving the country’s independence and sovereignty. The Iraqi Interior Ministry also rejected the US claims, saying the cooperation with the coalition is only focused on boosting the capabilities of Iraqi security forces in policing works.