Iraqi army: Forces hit in Syria are not ours

The Iraqi Army Command announced that the forces targeted in the airstrike near Syria’s Al Boqemal province have no affiliation with the Iraqi army.

Forces acting together with the Damascus regime in the Al Hari region near the Iraqi border were targeted in an airstrike on Sunday evening. The official news agency Sanaa first held the international coalition led by the US responsible, but the coalition and Pentagon refuted the claim. Nobody claimed the attack but a US official spoke to the AFP and said the attack might have been carried out by Israeli forces. According to London based Syria Human Rights Watch, over 50 fighters (most of them foreigners) died.

22 fighters out of the deceased were Iran backed Iraqi Hashd-i Shaabi militias. The Iraqi Joint Operations Command issued a statement on the matter and pointed out that the Iraqi army fought ISIS on Syrian territory as well to eliminate the threat over Iraqi and Syrian lands.

The statement says the Iraqi army considers it a responsibility, and added that the forces targeted in the bombing in Syria had no affiliation with Iraqi army forces. The statement stressed that the forces are not part of the Iraqi defense system.

Iraqi Foreign Ministry condemned the attack and stated that forces fighting ISIS were targeted in the bombing. The ministry said, “Whatever their name may be, targeting those who fight against ISIS allows ISIS to recuperate.”