America Launches Airstrikes on Iran-Back Militants in Iraq, Killing Hostiles Following Their Attack on Airbase

America has conducted two sets of airstrikes in Iraq against Iran-backed militants, marking the first publicly disclosed US responses in Iraq to a series of recent attacks against troops in the region, Reuters reports.

Up until this point, America had been cautious about retaliating in Iraq due to the sensitive political landscape.

The strikes, carried out on Tuesday evening, targeted two facilities in Iraq, according to a statement from the US military.

The statement emphasized that these actions were a direct response to the attacks on US and Coalition forces by Iran and Iran-backed groups.

The decision to retaliate comes amid ongoing concerns about the delicate political situation in Iraq.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani has limited control over the powerful Iranian-backed militias, whose support was instrumental in securing his position a year ago.

These militias now constitute a significant bloc in his governing coalition.

Approximately 24 hours before the strikes, American forces were attacked at an air base west of Baghdad.

In response, a US military AC-130 aircraft engaged in self-defense, reportedly resulting in casualties among the Iranian-backed militants.

The exact number of hostile forces killed remains unclear, but US officials have stated that the AC-130 gunship, equipped to fire artillery at ground targets, acted defensively in the face of the attack.

Iran-Backed Militants Has Been Attacking Since Last Month

There have been a reported 66 attacks on US and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria since October 17, with Al-Asad experiencing several incidents, according to CNN.

Prior to the recent ballistic missile attack on Monday, a one-way drone attack targeted forces at Al-Asad, resulting in no casualties or infrastructure damage, according to a US official.

As of last week, a total of 56 US troops had sustained minor injuries in these attacks, with at least 25 of them being traumatic brain injuries.

All injured personnel have since returned to duty.

Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh stated that they have responded in retaliation in cases where they were able to identify the point of origin.

In response to continuous attacks on US troops, the US has executed three strikes in Syria.

The first strike targeted two facilities in Abu Kamal linked to Iranian-backed militias on October 26.

Subsequent strikes hit a weapons storage facility in Maysalun, Deir Ezzor, Syria, used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and affiliated groups on November 8.

Additional strikes were carried out on November 12, targeting a training facility and safe house in Syria near Abu Kamal and Mayadin, respectively.

America Air Strikes

Aside from the four pre-planned retaliatory airstrikes by the US since October 17, there have been instances of immediate America forces firing back at Iran-backed militants when their locations were identified.

The three other pre-planned America airstrikes in recent weeks targeted weapon storage facilities, a safe house, and another command and control center in Syria used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its proxy militants for launching attacks, as stated by Pentagon officials.

Some militants are expected to have been killed in at least some of these strikes, ABC News noted.

The full damage assessment of the two sites hit in Iraq on Wednesday is yet to be conducted, making it unclear whether any enemies were killed, according to a US official.

Despite America's counterattacks aiming to discourage further aggression, there is currently no sign of these actions slowing down.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: U.S. forces carry out additional strikes against Iran-backed militia in Iraq - From NBC News