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On Thursday, the Iraqi Joint Operations Command said it is investigating whether there is a link between the party that attacked the Erbil airport and the missile strike near the Baghdad airport several days earlier.
The leadership spokesman, Major General Tahsin al-Khafaji, told Radio Sawa that a major investigative operation was launched immediately after the bombing of the Erbil airport in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, which resulted in the arrest of an official. among the crowd whose forces control the area.
Several rockets were launched from the village of Sheikh Amer in the Bartella district of Nineveh governorate, including Iraq, towards the Erbil airport, which includes a US-led coalition military base, with no losses announced.
The forces of the 30th Brigade of the Popular Mobilization Forces control the area adjacent to Erbil, and include elements of the Shabak minority, and are believed to be linked to militias loyal to Tehran.
Several days ago, the official in charge of this brigade, a person named Waad al-Qaddo, who is classified as a terrorist in the United States, was removed from office for allegedly committing human rights violations against civilians in the region.
Al-Khafaji stressed that “clear orders have been issued to the Iraqi security forces to confront the missile launchers against vital diplomatic missions and airports in the country as terrorists.”
Regarding the attack that targeted an area near Baghdad airport several days ago, Al-Khafaji said: “There are people who have been arrested in connection with the incident of the rocket fire in Radwaniyah, and we believe that their arrest will be important. to complete the investigations related to the Erbil airport bombing. “
On Monday, a Katyusha missile attack targeted a residential house in the Radwaniyah area, west of Baghdad, killing six civilians, all of them women and children.
Iraqi security officials believe the missile was aimed at the nearby Baghdad airport, a frequent target of such attacks as US forces maintain their presence there.
From last October to the end of July, 39 missile attacks targeted US interests in Iraq. And US military officials believe that armed groups loyal to Iran have become a greater threat than ISIS, which at one stage controlled about a third of the area of Iraq.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has indicated that it could shut down its diplomatic mission in Baghdad if it fails to take steps to control the rebel armed elements responsible for the recent barrage of attacks on the United States and other interests in Iraq, officials said. Iraqis and Americans last Monday.
Ambassadors from 25 Arab and Western countries expressed, this Wednesday, their concern about the increase in the number and development of attacks against diplomatic institutions in Iraq, in conjunction with the news that these countries intend to close their operational missions in Baghdad as a precautionary measure. .
