Iraq condemns US strikes against targets west of Baghdad on Wednesday. This is stated by the prime minister’s office in a statement on social media.

US warplanes attacked a militia base in al-Habbaniyya, west of the Iraqi capital, on Wednesday. The base is reported to belong to the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

The PMF is a Shia militia that is formally part of Iraq’s military forces and is subordinate to the country’s government. It participated in every major battle in the war against the Sunni extremist group Islamic State between 2014 and 2017.

Due to the militia’s Shia nature, however, the US considers it a proxy for the regime in neighboring Iran.

Condemned by Iraq

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, who is himself a Shia Muslim, claims that the US strike targeted a military clinic and that several people were killed in the attack. And Shia’ al-Sudani condemns the strike in the strongest terms.

“We maintain that the government and the armed forces have the right to respond with all available means in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, and will not silently watch as the sacred blood of our martyrs is violated,” the statement from the prime minister continues:

“This constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and the established norms that govern relations between states, and undermines the relationship between the peoples of Iraq and the United States of America.”

Following the US strike, the Iraqi prime minister has held deliberations with the governments of Jordan and Qatar, and has also approached French President Emmanuel Macron, as France is a permanent member of the UN Security Council.