39 dead in US strikes on Iraq and Syria
39 dead in US airstrikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria on February 3rd, according to Reuters.
The strikes were conducted in retaliation for the deaths of three US servicemen killed in a January 28th drone strike, at a US base in Jordan. The escalation comes as the nearly 4-month-old Israeli-Gaza conflict bleeds into the wider Middle East.
READ: 3 US troops dead in Jordan drone attack
The US military said B1 bombers targeted positions held by militias linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), including command and control centres, weapons storage depots, as-well-as as logistics and munition supply chain facilities.
Of the 39 dead, Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces said the US strikes killed 16, including civilians. A further 23 were killed guarding the target locations in Syria, according to the director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdulrahman.
Further US operations are expected in the coming days.
Reuters