ALBAWABA - At least 8 Iran-backed militants have been killed in a U.S. airstrike destroying two facilities used by Iranian proxies that had been targeting American and coalition troops, U.S. military officials said.
According to a statement by the U.S. Central Command, U.S. fighter aircraft launched "precision strikes against two facilities in Iraq" during the early hours of Wednesday local time, which were "in direct response to attacks against U.S. and coalition forces by Iran and Iran-backed groups".
A U.S. defense official told Voice of America news U.S. strikes targeted an operations center and a command and control node used by the Iran-backed militant group Kataib Hezbollah near Al Anbar and Jurf al-Saqr.
The airstrike came in response to an attack on Ain Al Asad military base, which houses U.S. military troops in Al Anbar governorate, 200 kilometers west of Baghdad.
According to Iraqi security officials, the bombardment is thought to have been carried out by US troops in response to the recent strikes on their military bases.
A military official in the Army Operations Command of Anbar governorate told "The New Arab" that the truck, which belonged to Hezbollah, was on the highway that linked western Baghdad to Iraqi-Syrian borders, near Abu Ghraib area.
Local police in Al Anbar said that the attack occurred around 5 a.m., causing severe damage to a vehicle, with sounds of violent explosions heard around the area.
Footage and photos of the damaged truck circulated on the internet on accounts that are pro-Iraqi armed factions. However, local authorities have yet to officially comment on the incident.
Earlier this month, security sources reported to Reuters that an explosive device targeted a joint patrol involving American forces and the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service near Musil.
