The strikes “killed 25 and wounded 51, including commanders and fighters, and the toll could yet rise,” said the Hashed, which holds major sway in Iraq. Parliament’s deputy speaker, part of influential Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr’s bloc, called on the Iraqi state to “take all necessary measures” in the face of the US attacks. Sunday night’s strikes revived calls from Iraq and beyond for US troops to leave. “The American military presence has become a burden for the Iraqi state and a source of threat against our forces. Russia called the “exchange of strikes” in Iraq “unacceptable”, and called for restraint from both sides.

Source: The Guardian December 30, 2019 19:18 UTC