DUBAI, February 3. /TASS/. The Iraqi authorities have called the US air strikes on the country's border areas, which killed 16 people, a violation of sovereignty and an act of aggression.
Iraqi government spokesman Basem al-Awadi said that "this blatant aggression resulted in the death of 16 people, including civilians, and another 25 were injured."
"The US administration has committed a new act of aggression against Iraq and violated its sovereignty, as the bombing targeted the locations of our security forces in the regions of Akashat and al-Qaim, as well as neighboring settlements where civilians live," the spokesman said, adding that the international coalition, "has deviated from its duties and the mandate given to it." According to him, the coalition's presence on Iraqi territory has led to the country’s involvement in regional and international conflicts. "The Iraqi government," he added, "will exert all necessary efforts to protect Iraqi territory."
Basem al-Awadi also pointed out that statements about Washington’s allegedly pre-coordinated with Baghdad the US Air Force attacks on border areas are nothing but a falsification.
"The American side deliberately falsified facts by claiming prior coordination [with Iraq] on the aggression carried out," the spokesman said.
He added that Washington's claims in this regard were "false and aimed at misleading the international public."
Yahya Rasool, a spokesman for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi armed forces, said earlier that the US Air Force's bombing of Iraq's border areas is a violation of the country's sovereignty and will have unintended consequences for Iraq's security and stability throughout the region.
US Central Command said that the airstrikes, which hit more than 85 targets, were aimed at the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, elite units of the Iranian armed forces) and related groups.