February 7, 2024By Orla Guerin & Hugo BachegaBBC News, BaghdadUpdated 3 hours agoVideo caption, Watch: BBC’s Orla Guerin at site of US drone strike in BaghdadA US drone strike in Baghdad has resulted in the death of a senior commander of an Iran-backed militia. The leader of Kataib Hezbollah and two of his guards were killed when the vehicle they were in was targeted in the eastern part of the Iraqi capital. The Pentagon stated that the commander was responsible for directing attacks on American forces in the region. Additionally, the US has connected the militia to a drone attack in Jordan that claimed the lives of three US troops last month. In response to that attack, Kataib Hezbollah announced a suspension of attacks on American troops to avoid causing “embarrassment” to the Iraqi government. The drone strike occurred on Wednesday night in Baghdad’s Mashtal neighborhood, causing several loud explosions. It was a precise strike on a moving vehicle in a busy street, resulting in the car being reduced to a fiery wreck. One of the victims identified is Abu Baqir al-Saadi, a senior commander in Kataib Hezbollah.Image source, Getty ImagesUS Central Command (Centcom) reported that the attack took place at 21:30 local time (18:30 GMT) and killed the “commander responsible for directly planning and participating in attacks on US forces in the region”.”There are no indications of collateral damage or civilian casualties at this time,” the Centcom statement said.When a BBC team reached the scene, protesters had gathered chanting: “America is the biggest devil.” The area witnessed a heavy police presence, with Swat teams from Iraq’s interior ministry also joining. Image source, Getty ImagesThe BBC team attempted to approach the burnt-out vehicle, but onlookers insisted that journalists were not welcome, driving them back by stating “You are foreigners,” adding “and foreigners are to blame for this”. There were reports of crowds heading to the heavily fortified US embassy to protest.The drone strike comes just days after the US launched 85 strikes in Syria and Iraq in response to the fatal drone attack on US troops on January 28. President Joe Biden characterized the wave of attacks last Friday as the beginning of the US response.The drone strike in the Iraqi capital is considered a significant escalation in the US response, as previous strikes had only targeted the Iraq-Syria border area. However, it was expected that the American strategy would involve targeting not only the infrastructure used by the groups but also their senior leaders.Shortly after Wednesday’s attack, militias in the country called for retaliation against the US. American forces have been subjected to near-daily rocket and drone strikes since the start of the Israel-Gaza war on October 7. On January 4, the US conducted an airstrike in Baghdad against the leader of Harakat al Nujaba, a group also held responsible for attacks on American troops. The US currently has approximately 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in neighboring Syria as part of its mission to combat the Islamic State terror group. Additional reporting by Sangar Khaleel and Max Matza
