Published 20:33 IST, January 8th 2020
Iraq's speaker calls Iranian attack 'violation of Iraqi sovereignty'
Speaker of Iraqi parliament Mohammed al-Halbusi, condemned the Iranian missile attacks on the airbase in Iraq calling it violation of Iraqi sovereignty.
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Speaker of Iraqi parliament Mohammed al-Halbusi, on Wednesday, condemned the Iranian missile attacks on the airbase in Iraq calling it a violation of Iraqi sovereignty. al-Halbousi, who is the most senior leader of the Council of Representatives of Iraq called for urgent measures to stop the nation being turned into a proxy battleground for outside forces. He added that,
"While we condemn the Iranian violation of Iraqi sovereignty at dawn today... we confirm our absolute refusal to the conflicting parties to use the Iraqi arena to settle scores."
On January 3, United States killed Iran’s top general and the architect of Tehran’s proxy wars in the Middle East, Qassem Soleimani in an airstrike at Baghdad’s international airport. The Defense Department said it killed Soleimani because he “was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region.” It also accused him of approving the attacks on the US Embassy in Baghdad. In retaliation, Iran fired multiple ballistic missiles on the Ain al-Asad airbase in Iraq that housed the US and coalition forces during the wee hours on Wednesday. This incident was first reported by Iranian state TV, who described it as Tehran’s revenge operation over the killing of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
Previous attacks in Iraq
Around six people were injured, as per reports, after two rockets hit the Green Zone in Baghdad on January 5. Further reports stated that while three rockets fell inside the heavily fortified Green Zone housing government buildings and foreign missions, the rest fell in the nearby Al-Jadriya area. On January 4, US embassy in Baghdad was attacked as two mortars hit Baghdad's Green Zone and simultaneously two rockets hit Iraq's Al-Balad airbase, where US troops were stationed. This came after the US deployed its troops across Iraq following the drone strike that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani a day earlier.
Updated 20:33 IST, January 8th 2020