US airstrike targets Hashd al-Shaabi weapons depot in Iraq
The United States has carried out airstrikes against targets in Iraq and Syria in response to an attack on a US base by an Iran-backed Shiite militia force. The attack targeted a Hashd al-Shaabi weapons warehouse in the Akkashat region of Anbar province in Iraq. It is not yet known whether there were any casualties in the attack.
Images of the attack were shared on social media, and the US Central Command announced that it carried out the airstrikes against targets belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
According to the CENTCOM statement, at least 85 targets belonging to militia groups affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Army Quds Force were hit by the airstrikes in Syria and Iraq. The statement also mentioned the use of long-range bombers and more than 125 guided bombs in the attacks, targeting command and control centers, rockets, missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles in the targeted areas.
The attack on the US base called Tower 22 resulted in the deaths of 3 American soldiers and more than 40 soldiers being injured. In response to the attack, the US administration had announced a multi-layered approach to target Iranian-backed groups over time.
Tensions between the US and Iran-backed groups in the region have been escalating, and these recent airstrikes are the latest development in the ongoing conflict. The situation is still unfolding, and further updates on the aftermath of the airstrikes and any potential retaliatory actions are awaited.
