BBC – Iraq could be pushed into conflict by tit-for-tat attacks on its territory by Iranian-backed militias and US forces, Iraqi Foreign Minister, Dr Fuad Hussein said. “The tension nowadays between Iran and the United States is very high,” he said.
“I hope both sides will stop their attacks. They are not going to solve their problem on Iraqi soil,” he said. “We paid a very big price.”
In the past week or so, that price has involved a wave of US air strikes killing 17 fighters from Iranian-backed armed groups. Then came a deadly missile attack on a militia commander, Abu Bakir Al Saadi, which turned his jeep into a fireball on a residential street in Baghdad. That attack was condemned by the government here as “a clear-cut assassination” without regard for civilian lives or international law – a stunning indictment of an ally.
The American strikes were in retaliation for the killing of three US soldiers in Jordan. The US military says it will “continue to take necessary action” to protect its own people.
As the two sides battle it out, Iraq is getting burnt.
