Islamic Resistance vows US retaliation after Arbaeen pilgrimage
Shafaq News- Baghdad
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) set a deadline of 23 Safar (around August 7) for the federal government to respond to joint US-Saudi airstrikes on Iran-backed groups, pledging to retaliate against the United States after the Arbaeen pilgrimage.
The statement challenged Iraqi officials who have demanded that armed factions surrender their weapons to the state, arguing that if the factions were to disarm, the government would have to prove it could defend Iraq's sovereignty, deter future attacks and hold those responsible for the strikes accountable.
The coalition said it was giving the authorities until 23 Safar to demonstrate their response, warning that retaliation against the United States was "inevitable" and could extend to US assets in Saudi Arabia if circumstances required. It said any action would be postponed until after Arbaeen to avoid disrupting the pilgrimage and religious processions.
Earlier on Wednesday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said US and Saudi warplanes had carried out precision strikes on weapons depots and logistics facilities in eastern Iraq belonging to Iran-linked armed groups it accused of orchestrating recent attacks.
The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) said the strikes killed at least 20 personnel and wounded 32 others, describing the casualty toll as preliminary.
Iran's Mehr news agency also reported that four members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from the city of Kashan were killed in the strikes, identifying them as Ali Asghar Astaneh, Abolfazl Motaghi, Morteza Akbari, and Amir Abbas Darhamforoush.
The government's disarmament plan coincides with the scheduled end of the US-led coalition's mission on September 30. Several Iran-aligned factions have rejected surrendering their weapons, including Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat al-Nujaba, and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, while US forces remain in Iraq, while others have begun placing their arsenals under state authority.
Read more: Iraq's September deadline undercuts armed factions' case for weapons
