Taking military action against US forces still 'viable option,' warns Shia leader

Retaliating through military attacks on the United States (US) military forces in Iraq is still a “viable option” after recent two assassinations of prominent Iranian leaders, the head of the Tehran-backed Asaib Ahl Al-Haq Shia group announced on Saturday.

“The option of military response to the US forces in Iraq is still on the table,” Qais Al-Khazali said in an interview.

He noted that the US President Donald Trump had “crossed all red lines in Iraq,” explaining that  assassination of the top Iranian commander  Qassem Soleimani and the Deputy Commander of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis was “a serious crime.”

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“We are currently targeting the US military presence in the military bases the American economic interests,” Al-Khazali adding, warning that his forces would “target

In early January, Iraq’s parliament passed a resolution telling the government to end the presence of foreign troops in Iraq and ensure they do not use its land, air, and waters for any reason. The move came after the Soleimani and Al-Muhandis’ assassination. Iran later retaliated with a missile strike against an American base in Iraq.