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The Iraqi militia, responsible for the attack on a Jordanian U.S. military base that resulted in the deaths of three American soldiers, has announced that it will cease military operations against U.S. forces. This is the first time the militia has publicly declared a halt to operations against the U.S. military.
According to foreign media, including The New York Times, on the 30th (local time), the “Kataib Hezbollah,” an Iraqi militia receiving support from Iran, raised the white flag just two days after the U.S. announced it would retaliate.
This comes after President Biden vowed to respond to the attack that killed American soldiers, heightening concerns about a possible U.S. retaliatory strike, and Iran, feeling the pressure, pushed for a halt to the attacks.
It is known that Kataib Hezbollah’s public declaration to cease attacks on U.S. forces was influenced by both the Iraqi government and Iran. The Iraqi government has been pushing for a halt to attacks on the U.S. military for a few weeks now. The Iraqi government has been trying to negotiate a withdrawal of U.S. forces, which Iran most wants, but it is known that the attacks by Kataib Hezbollah are weakening the Iranian government’s ability to station forces in Iraq.
On the 27th (local time), three U.S. soldiers were killed in the attack on a U.S. base in Jordan by the group. It was the first time U.S. soldiers had been killed since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas. President Biden mentioned the group as the mastermind behind the drone attack on the U.S. base on the 29th and warned of a retaliatory attack, declaring, “We will respond.” The U.S. then heightened the possibility of a retaliatory attack, claiming it had found traces of Kataib Hezbollah. It appears that Iran and the Iraqi government, feeling the pressure, have urged Kataib Hezbollah to cease its attacks.
The group is an armed militia established in Iraq by Iran to oppose U.S. forces when the Iraq War broke out in 2003. Having grown into the most influential armed group in Iraq today, they have gained notoriety over the past few years for assassinations of key figures, rocket and mortar attacks, and acts of terror. Particularly since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas, they have focused their firepower on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria, carrying out at least 150 attacks. They consider U.S. forces as foreign occupiers and aim to drive them out of the Middle East.
Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said in a briefing that day regarding Kataib Hezbollah’s position on halting attacks, “I have nothing specific to comment on other than that actions speak louder than words.”
“As far as I know, there have been three attacks since January 28,” he stated. “We will respond in the way and time we choose.”
By. Eugene Park
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