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U.S. Drone Strike Kills Kata'ib Hezbollah Leader in Iraq
In response to the more than 160 attacks by Iran-backed militants on U.S. forces, who are in the Middle East as part of the coalition to defeat ISIS, the United States conducted airstrikes February 2 on dozens of targets in Iraq and Syria used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and affiliated groups. The targets included command and control centers, rockets, missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, storage, and munitions supply chain facilities.
After three American soldiers were killed and many more injured during a January 28th attack on a Jordanian facility hosting U.S. forces for their anti-ISIS mission, President Joe Biden authorized those attacks on facilities and munitions used by the IRGC and related groups. He also issued a warning: “Let all those who might seek to do us harm know this: If you harm an American, we will respond.”
On February 7 that response resulted in the death of a Kata’ib Hezbollah commander in Baghdad, whom the Pentagon has identified as Wissam Muhammad Sabir al-Saadi, known as Abu Baqir al-Saadi. The unilateral drone strike occurred at 9:30 p.m., as al-Saadi was traveling in a vehicle on a Baghdad street. U.S. Central Command issued a statement saying, “There are no indications of collateral damage or civilian casualties at this time.”
State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel noted that Kata’ib Hezbollah, an Iran-aligned militia group, is a designated terrorist organization.
“This commander was directly responsible for planning and participating in attacks on U.S. forces in the region. We have said that attacks against U.S. and coalition forces by groups who call themselves the Islamic Resistance in Iraq need to stop. And so, if we continue to see threats and attacks from these militia groups, we will respond; we will take the appropriate steps to hold them accountable,” he said.
When John Kirby, National Security Coordinator for Strategic Communications, was asked whether the United States has now concluded its retaliatory strikes for the attack that killed Americans in Jordan, he replied: “You’ll have to wait and see.”
Pentagon Spokesperson Major General Pat Ryder emphasized that the focus of U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria remains the enduring defeat of ISIS. He made clear, however, that “the United States will continue to take necessary action to protect our people. And we will not hesitate to hold responsible all those who threaten the safety of our forces.”