US says 'Iran-backed' forces behind Baghdad attack

US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo strongly condemns the latest attack by Iran-backed militias on the International Zone in Baghdad stating that Iran-backed militias are the most serious impediment to helping Iraq return to peace and prosperity.

Washington: US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on Sunday accused "Iran-backed militias" of carrying out the Sunday rocket attack on the Green Zone in Iraq's capital, Baghdad.

"The United States strongly condemns the latest attack by Iran-backed militias on the International Zone in Baghdad. While no Embassy personnel were harmed, the attack caused at least one Iraqi civilian casualty and damaged Iraqi civilian property. We wish those hurt a speedy recovery," Pompeo said in a statement.

The US Secretary of State said that Iran-backed militias are the most serious impediment to helping Iraq return to peace and prosperity.

"As Iraq struggles with COVID-19 and an increasingly dire economic crisis, Iran-backed militias are the most serious impediment to helping Iraq return to peace and prosperity. The same militias targeting diplomatic facilities are stealing Iraqi state resources on a massive scale, attacking peaceful protesters and activists, and engaging in sectarian violence, "Pompeo said.

Pompeo called for efforts to "reinforce Iraq's sovereignty", to bring to justice those responsible for these reprehensible attacks.

Read: US embassy in Iraq reports minor damage by rocket strike, no casualties

"We call on all Iraqis to support their government's efforts to reinforce Iraq's sovereignty, to bring to justice those responsible for these reprehensible attacks and ensure that all the currently Iran-backed militias are under state control," he added.

According to Sputnik, The US embassy in Baghdad said on Sunday that the latest rocket attack on the Green Zone, which hosts diplomatic missions and government buildings, inflicted some minor damage to its premises.

Citing Iraqi TV reports, three rockets were fired at Baghdad's Green Zone on Sunday and the US embassy's air defense systems responded to the attack.

This is not the first time the Green Zone, and the US embassy, in particular, get fired at. In September, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources in the Trump Administration, that Washington had warned Iraq it would close the embassy if attacks persist.

Rockets are also being frequently fired at Baghdad's international airport, with an adjacent military airfield, as well as foreign military bases across Iraq. Such assaults rarely result in casualties or any significant material damage.

ANI Report