Drone strike kills senior commander of Iran-backed group in Iraq

The U.S. strike in Iraqi territory could potentially escalate tensions between Washington and Baghdad amid negotiations to end the international military coalition presence there.

By Ben Whedon

Published: February 7, 2024 4:30pm

A drone strike in Baghdad resulted in three deaths on Wednesday, including that of a senior commander in the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah group that the Department of Defense has connected to a recent attacks on U.S. troops in the region.

Kataib Hezbollah is a component militia of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) a semi-official confederation of armed groups within Iraq that enjoys state sanction and includes many groups linked to Iran. The strike targeted a vehicle used by the PMF and killed Kataib Hezbollah commander Abu Baqir al-Saadi, according to Reuters, which cited "two security sources."

U.S. Central Command confirmed the strike on Wednesday, but did not identify al-Saadi by name.

"At 9:30 p.m. (Baghdad Time) February 7, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted a unilateral strike in Iraq in response to the attacks on U.S. service members, killing a Kata'ib Hezbollah commander responsible for directly planning and participating in attacks on U.S. forces in the region," a statement read. "There are no indications of collateral damage or civilian casualties at this time. The United States will continue to take necessary action to protect our people. We will not hesitate to hold responsible all those who threaten our forces’ safety."

While CENTCOM did not specifically address the strike a recent lethal strike in Jordan. Reuters highlighted the Pentagon's linking of Kataib Hezbollah to that incident. The January drone strike on Tower 22, a U.S. position in Jordan near the juncture of Iraq and Syria, led to the deaths of three U.S. troops and injured many more.

The U.S. strike in Iraqi territory could potentially escalate tensions between Washington and Baghdad amid negotiations to end the international military coalition presence there. U.S. troops were invited into Iraq by the government to help it fend off the Islamic State and roughly 2,500 personnel remained in the country as of January.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.