ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An Iran-aligned Iraqi militia has threatened to continue attacks on US military bases across Iraq, including in the Kurdistan Region, describing such strikes as a response to what it calls American aggression.
Kadhim al-Fartousi, spokesperson for Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, said in an interview with Rudaw that the group considers US forces stationed in Iraq as legitimate targets, accusing them of launching attacks from bases in northern Iraq.
"We are fighting an enemy that has established itself in Kurdistan with the consent of our brothers in the local regional government," Fartousi said on March 10. "You allow this party to commit crimes, yet you won't allow us to punish them for those crimes. That is the principle currently at play."
He added that any military installations linked to the United States or Israel, whether inside Iraq or elsewhere, would remain under threat.
"Our position is clear: regarding these bases, wherever they may be - anyone who signs an agreement with the Americans or Israelis to establish military bases is doing so to target us and kill our people," he said. "They must understand that these bases will, one day, inevitably become targets for our attacks.
Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada logo. Graphic: Rudaw
Iraq19/03/2026
Iran-backed militia vows continued attacks on US bases in Iraq
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Fartousi also alleged that recent strikes against his group were launched from US bases in the Kurdistan Region, though he did not provide verifiable evidence.
"We believe these bases have carried out hostile acts," he said. "Just this past week, we were attacked from Kurdistan - once in Mosul by fighter jets, and another time by helicopters. These aggressions cannot go unanswered."
The remarks come amid heightened tensions following the joint military campaign the United States and Israel on Iran, which triggered retaliatory drone and missile attacks from Tehran and its allied groups across the region.
Since fighting escalated on February 28, dozens of drone and rocket attacks have targeted the US Embassy in Baghdad and the US consulate in Erbil, with most intercepted by US air defense systems stationed in the country.
Last week, Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces reported that at least six of their fighters were killed and four others wounded in a strike on a checkpoint in Iraq's western Anbar province.
The strike occurred after the US Embassy in Baghdad was targeted in a wave of drone and rocket attacks.
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