- Title: Funerals held for people killed in U.S. air strikes in Iraq
- Date: 14th March 2020
- Summary: NAJAF, IRAQ (MARCH 14, 2020) (REUTERS) GROUP OF IRAQI SECURITY FORCES MARCHING AND HOLDING UP IRAQI FLAGS AHEAD OF FUNERAL PROCESSION OF PEOPLE KILLED IN U.S. AIR STRIKES VARIOUS OF MOURNERS CHANTING AND CARRYING COFFINS DRAPED IN IRAQI FLAGS, SHOUTING (Arabic): "THERE IS NO GOD BUT ALLAH" VARIOUS OF MOURNERS CARRYING COFFINS, ENTERING THE SHRINE AND SHOUTING (Arabic): ''THERE IS NO GOD BUT ALLAH'' (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) UNNAMED MOURNER, SAYING: "We condemn the American aggression against our security forces and we would like to tell the Americans to leave our country, those are our dear sons. You are occupiers and you kill our sons. This act is rejected and unacceptable." VARIOUS OF MOURNERS CARRYING COFFINS
- Embargoed: 28th March 2020 11:46
- Keywords: Iranian-supplied weapons Iraqi military Kataib Hezbollah militia Najaf U.S. U.S.-led coalition Washington air strikes
- Location: NAJAF AND JURF AL-SAKHAR, IRAQ
- City: NAJAF AND JURF AL-SAKHAR, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA001C50X1ZB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Iraqis held a funeral procession in Najaf on Saturday (March 14) for some of those killed in U.S. airstrikes on Friday.
Iraq's Joint Operations Command said in a statement that three soldiers, two policemen and one civilian were killed, according to an initial toll, and that four soldiers, two policemen, a civilian, and five militiamen were injured.
The United States defended the air strikes, saying all five targets were legitimate and stored Iranian-supplied weapons used by the Kataib Hezbollah militia to attack the U.S.-led coalition. Washington launched the strikes in retaliation for a rocket attack on Wednesday (March 11) on a base north of Baghdad that killed two U.S. troops and a British soldier.
Long-standing antagonism between the United States and Iran have mostly played out on Iraqi soil in recent months, stoking deep-seated tensions between elements of Iraqi society who oppose the U.S. military presence and those who see U.S.-led coalition support as vital to preventing the resurgence of Islamic State militants.
(Production: Ahmed Saeed, Maher Nazeh, Mohammed Katfan) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None