US strike in Iraq kills commander of militia group behind deadly attack on American forces

Washington, Feb 8: The US military has launched a strike in Iraq and killed a commander of Kataib Hezbollah, a militia group the Joe Biden administration said was linked to the deadly attack on US forces in Jordan in late January.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Wednesday in a post on its X account that its forces conducted a unilateral strike at 9:30 p.m. Baghdad Time, killing a Kataib Hezbollah commander "responsible for directly planning and participating in attacks on US forces in the region".

CENTCOM added that the strike caused no collateral damage or civilian casualties, and that "the US will continue to take necessary action to protect our people".

The strike was part of ongoing US retaliation to a drone attack on a US military base in Jordan on January 28, in which three US soldiers were killed and more than 40 others were injured, Xinhua news agency reported.

The White House assessed that an Iran-backed umbrella group known as Islamic Resistance in Iraq -- of which Kataib Hezbollah is a part -- carried out the attack on US forces.