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The Pentagon is seen from the air on March 3, 2022.
CNN –
The US military carried out airstrikes on three facilities used by Iraq-based Kataib Hezbollah and “affiliated groups” on Monday evening after an attack left three US soldiers injured and one in critical condition, said the White House.
A statement from U.S. Central Command said initial assessments showed U.S. airstrikes ordered by President Joe Biden “likely killed a number of Kataib Hezbollah militants.”
The Iran-backed militant group previously claimed it used a disposable attack drone to attack US forces at the Erbil air base on Monday morning, the White House said.
A statement from U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said the U.S. airstrikes on “three sites used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups specifically focus on unmanned aerial drone activity.”
According to CENTCOM, the attacks on the Kataib Hezbollah facilities occurred at 8:45 p.m. ET. “There is no evidence that civilian lives were affected,” the statement said.
However, the Iraqi government said in a statement that one “security guard” was killed and 18 others, “including civilians,” were injured. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's office called the airstrikes “hostile acts” that “violate Iraq's sovereignty and are considered unacceptable under any circumstances and for any reasons.”
The Iraqi government stressed that such attacks could affect relations between the two countries. “It is a clearly hostile, unconstructive act that does not serve the interests of long-term shared interests,” the statement said.
According to the US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) website, Kataib Hezbollah is a Shiite militant group that “poses a major threat” to US personnel in both Iraq and Syria.
It says the group wants to expel U.S. and coalition forces from Iraq and form an Iran-allied government there. According to the DNI, the group is also active in Syria.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin briefed the president on Monday afternoon, the White House said. The president was presented with several options, and Biden ordered the attacks during that call.
In a statement, Austin said Monday's airstrikes were in response to the attack in Erbil and other attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria.
Austin called the US airstrikes “necessary and proportionate.”
The security “soldier” mentioned in the Iraqi prime minister's statement was a member of the Hashd Al-Shaabi, known as the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), a predominantly Shiite paramilitary force, according to a statement released by the group. In 2016, the Iraqi parliament passed a bill recognizing Shiite militia fighters as a government entity working with the Iraqi military.
However, the US views the PMU as Iranian-backed militias and considers some of them responsible for carrying out attacks on US sites in Iraq and Syria.
This headline and article have been updated with additional information.
CNN's Aqeel Najim contributed to this report.