Iraq accuses US-led coalition of Baghdad strike, decries 'aggression'

Iraq has accused the US-led international coalition of a strike that killed a senior commander and another member of a pro-Iranian faction in Baghdad.

"The Iraqi armed forces hold the forces of the international coalition responsible for this attack," Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al Sudani's office said in a statement on Thursday, labelling it a "dangerous escalation and aggression".

A "US strike" in Baghdad killed a military commander of the Hashed al Shaabi militant group, the ex-paramilitary force said, with an Iraq security official reporting two deaths in a drone attack.

"A drone targeted the logistical support headquarters of Hashed al-Shaabi," mainly pro-Iranian former paramilitary units integrated into the Iraqi armed forces, said the security official.

The strike killed "two members and wounded seven others", said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A Hashed source, also asking not to be named, confirmed the death toll and charged that the United States was behind the attack.

Regional tensions soar

It came amid heightened regional tensions since Israel's war on Gaza, following the Palestinian group's October 7 attack.

There was no immediate comment from US officials, whose forces in Iraq and neighbouring Syria have faced a surge in attacks since the start of the Israel's war on Gaza.

Videos shared on a Telegram channel linked to the Hashed showed columns of smoke rising above the area of the strike on Baghdad's Palestine street, normally a bustling commercial road.

Washington has counted more than 100 attacks against US targets in Syria and Iraq since mid-October.

The United States has around 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria as part of a multinational coalition fighting the Daesh terror group.

The US military has responded to recent attacks by launching air strikes targeting sites used by Iran and its proxy forces in Iraq and Syria, including Hashed sites.