Iraq's National Security Council Meets Over Airstrikes
RastinewsIraq condemned airstrikes carried out by the United States and Saudi Arabia against the Popular Mobilization Forces (Haşdi Şabi).
A statement issued after an emergency meeting of Iraq's National Security Council condemned the airstrikes carried out by the U.S. and Saudi Arabia on headquarters belonging to Iran-aligned Haşdi Şabi forces in various parts of the country. Baghdad said it would launch a diplomatic initiative under the framework of international law.
Iraq's National Security Council held an emergency meeting chaired by Prime Minister Ali Zeydi over the joint U.S.-Saudi strikes on the country.
The meeting addressed the airstrikes on Iran-aligned Haşdi Şabi headquarters. According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister's office afterward, the council condemned the strikes, stressing that they violated Iraq's sovereignty and were unacceptable.
"The strikes coincided with diplomatic contacts," the statement said, noting that the Iraqi government had been in contact with relevant parties before the strikes to address security concerns raised by Saudi Arabia and the U.S. It described the timing of the air operations, carried out while that process was still underway, as troubling.
Iraq's National Security Council decided to prepare a comprehensive security plan aimed at strengthening control over Iraqi territory, protecting the country's sovereignty and preventing threats to neighboring countries from originating on Iraqi soil.
The Foreign Ministry was also instructed to take action under international law and the United Nations Charter to document the strikes and defend Iraq's legal rights. The council stressed that security and military matters fall solely under the authority of constitutional state institutions, and said the government would continue its policy of bringing weapons under state control.
The statement also noted that Iraq would maintain a foreign policy of staying out of regional conflicts and continue supporting the resolution of disputes through dialogue and diplomacy. The Iraqi government reiterated that this stance was tied to implementation of the security agreement providing for the withdrawal of U.S.-led international coalition forces from the country.
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) had announced that American and Saudi warplanes struck weapons and logistics facilities belonging to Iran-linked groups in eastern Iraq. Haşdi Şabi said the strikes, which hit seven provinces, killed at least 20 of its members and wounded 32.