Pro-Iran Group Pledges To Cease Attacks on US Troops After Biden Administration Response
Kataeb Hizbullah (KH), an Iran-aligned armed militia based in Iraq and Syria, pledged on Tuesday to cease its attacks on US military personnel in Iraq after the Biden Administration promised a “very consequential response” following the deaths of three United States service members.
The Defense Department identified the three slain US soldiers as Sgt. William Rivers, 46, Spc. Brianna Moffatt, 23, and Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24. All three were Georgia residents belonging to the 718th Engineer Company, a US Army Reserve unit. They were killed Sunday in an overnight drone strike targeting Tower 22, a US outpost near the Syrian border but located in Jordan.
The one-way drone strike hit the residential area of the outpost during the early morning hours while much of the base was asleep, the Pentagon said. Deputy spokesperson Sabrina Singh relayed that at least 40 people were injured in the strike, with eight needing evacuation off-base to the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center due to severe injuries.
After the incident, the United States attributed the strike to “radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq,” pledging to retaliate with force but stopping short of accusing KH specifically.
KH is the primary faction of the Islamic Resistance of Iraq, a coalition of hardline Shia militias allegedly responsible for approximately 160 attacks on US forces.
In a statement posted to Telegram on Tuesday, the militia’s Secretary-General Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi confirmed a pause in hostilities toward US forces, adding that “[KH] will continue to defend our people in Gaza in other ways.”
Possibly prompted by the Iraqis or Iranians, Hamidawi sought to make it clear that neither Iran nor any of KH’s other allies oversee the group’s activities, claiming, conversely, that Iran opposes their attacks on US forces.
KH’s website was also updated to reflect the change in policy, referencing a “suspension of our military and security operations against the occupying forces to avoid any embarrassment for the Iraqi government.”
Questioned about KH’s announcement, Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Patrick Ryder declined to directly comment but noted there had already been multiple attacks against US forces in the region since Sunday’s incident.
“When I say actions speak louder than words, you know, there [have] been three attacks, to my knowledge, since the 28th of January. And I’ll just leave it there,” Ryder stated.
