Americans kill leader of Iran-backed Iraqi militia with drone

(Patria) - A senior commander of an Iran-backed militia was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad last night, the BBC reported. The leader of Kataib Hezbollah and two of his bodyguards were in a vehicle when they were hit in the east of the Iraqi capital. All three died.

The Pentagon said the commander was responsible for directing attacks on US forces in the region. The United States linked the militia to a drone attack in Jordan last month that killed three American soldiers. After that attack, Kataib Hezbollah said it was suspending attacks on US troops to avoid "embarrassing" the Iraqi government.

On Wednesday evening, the drone strike occurred in the Mashtal district of Baghdad, causing several loud explosions. It was a precision strike on a moving vehicle on a busy street, and the car was turned into a fireball. One of the victims was identified as Abu Baqir al-Saadi, a senior commander of Kataib Hezbollah.

US Central Command (Centcom) said the strike was carried out at 21:30 local time (18:30 GMT) and killed "a commander responsible for directly planning and participating in attacks on US forces in the region," adding that "there are no indications of collateral damage or civilian casualties at this time."

The attack comes days after the US carried out 85 strikes in Syria and Iraq in retaliation for the fatal drone attack on US troops on January 28. President Joe Biden described the wave of strikes last Friday as just the beginning of the US response.

The drone strike in the Iraqi capital will be seen as a major escalation in the US response. Previous strikes were only aimed at the border area between Iraq and Syria. But perhaps the US strategy includes targeting not only the infrastructure of the groups, but also their senior leaders. Shortly after Wednesday's attack, militias called for retaliation against the US.