Wednesday's drone strike in Iraq that killed a commander of the Kataib Hezbollah militia has put additional tension between the Iraqi government and the United States, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Iranian-backed militias have carved out a presence in Iraq and serve a need of the government to take on Islamic State fighters, yet they also seek to kill Americans.
The Pentagon claims the commander, Wissam Muhammad Sabir al-Saadi, known as Abu Baqir al-Saadi, was directly responsible for planning and participating in attacks against Americans in the region. The U.S. has said it suspects the militia of being behind the drone strike on Jan. 28 in Jordan that killed three American service members.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani accused the U.S. of violating his country's sovereignty, saying the strike would push Baghdad to terminate the mission of the U.S.-led military coalition, according to his spokesperson.
Months of clashes between the U.S. and Iranian-backed militias in the region have increased pressure both from regular Iraqis and political factions loyal to Iran for the prime minister to expedite an American exit, the Journal reported.
Talk of the U.S. removing its presence from Iraq first initiated a month ago, with the Iraqi prime minister noting "the commencement of the first round of bilateral dialogue between Iraq and the United States of America to end the mission of the Coalition in Iraq."
Close to 2,500 U.S. troops are stationed in Iraq, supporting local forces to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State group.
Information from Reuters and The Associated Press was used in this report.
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