Iraq summons U.S. charge d'affaires over U.S. airstrikes

BAGHDAD, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Iraq's Foreign Ministry summoned Saturday the U.S. charge d'affaires in Baghdad to protest against the recent U.S. airstrikes in western Iraq, said a statement by the ministry.

The U.S. charge d'affaires received a protest note, in which Iraq expressed its rejection and condemnation of the U.S. airstrikes that targeted Iraqi security forces as well as civilian sites in the Akashat and al-Qaim areas, according to the statement.

The note stressed Iraq's rejection of making its territories an arena for settling scores between conflicting countries, saying "our country is not the appropriate place to send messages and show force between opponents," said the statement.

The ministry's action came after the U.S. forces conducted airstrikes on the paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces in western Iraq, killing 16 people and wounding dozens of others.

The U.S. Central Command said in a statement on Friday that the U.S. forces conducted airstrikes on more than 85 targets in Iraq and Syria against Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and affiliated militia groups.

The U.S. airstrikes came in response to recent attacks by Iranian-backed militias that caused the first U.S. fatalities since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out on Oct. 7, 2023.