US strike in Baghdad kills Iranian-backed militia commander
A US retaliatory strike in the Iraqi capital on Wednesday killed a senior leader of a militia that US officials blame for recent attacks on US personnel, the Pentagon said, echoing President Biden's pledge that the response to a slew of attacks by Shia militias.
The Pentagon said the man was a leader of Kata'ib Hezbollah, the militia officials said was responsible for the drone strike in Jordan last month that killed three U.S. service members and injured more than 40.
A US official said the attack was a “dynamic” blow to the militia commander, who US intelligence officials had been monitoring for some time. A second official said the United States reserved the right to attack other Shiite militia leaders and commanders.
Videos from the scene showed the charred wreckage of a vehicle in an eastern Baghdad neighborhood and a nearby fire.
A senior official from Kata'ib Hezbollah and Iran's Revolutionary Guards both said two commanders had been killed in the attack. Witnesses said identity cards found nearby identified them as Arkan al-Elayawi and Abu Bakir al-Saadi.
In response, crowds gathered in the streets of Baghdad chanting “America is the devil.”
Wednesday's strike came after three quieter days in the Middle East following US salvos on Friday and Saturday, the first of what Biden and his aides have said will be a sustained campaign of retaliation.
On Monday, the Pentagon said US warplanes had destroyed or seriously damaged most of the Iranian and militia targets they struck in Syria and Iraq on Friday.
Maj. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder, the Pentagon spokesman, said “more than 80” of about 85 targets in Syria and Iraq were destroyed or disabled. The targets, he said, included command centers; intelligence centers; missile, missile and attack drone depots; as well as logistics and ammunition bunkers.
Kata'ib Hezbollah, based in Iraq, is considered a proxy of Iran. The United States blames Iran and militias linked to it for what had become a near-daily barrage of rocket and drone attacks on American forces in Iraq and Syria since the war between Hamas and Israel began on October 7. to calibrate retaliatory airstrikes to ultimately deter such groups while avoiding a broader war.
But when a drone strike hit a remote base in Jordan on Jan. 28, killing three U.S. service members, administration officials said a red line had been crossed, and Mr. Biden vowed a sustained campaign of retaliation.
The back-and-forth attacks in Syria, Iraq and Jordan — not to mention the infighting between the United States and its allies, and the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen — have pushed the region closer to a broader conflict, even now the government insists it does not want war with Iran. Instead, U.S. officials say they are focused on eliminating the militias' formidable arsenals and deterring additional attacks on U.S. troops and merchant ships in the Red Sea.
But by attacking Kata'ib Hezbollah commanders, the administration is sending a message to Iran and the militias it supports that any American life taken will be met with a strong response, U.S. officials said.
In January, the Pentagon said the US had killed a leader of another militia, Haraqat al Nujaba, which was involved in planning and carrying out attacks on US personnel.
National security experts and officials say privately that to truly reduce the capabilities of Iran-backed militias, the United States would need to wage a years-long campaign similar to the six-year effort to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
Even then, officials say, the militias, with Iran's support, could likely outlast Islamic State, which has been under pressure from the United States and Iran, and even Russia. The United States should also target many more senior leaders and commanders.
Falih Hassan reporting contributed.