Newsletters
Foreign military forces conducted an airborne landing operation in the desert of Najaf province in southwestern Iraq on Tuesday evening, triggering armed clashes with Iraqi troops that left one soldier dead and several others wounded, according to multiple Iraqi government and parliamentary sources.
The operation, first reported by Independent Arabia citing a government source, involved what Iraqi officials believe to be American and possibly Israeli forces. The government source said the forces' mission may have been to plant surveillance and espionage equipment, conduct aerial monitoring, or deliver support to groups fighting against Iran through Iraqi territory.
Zuhair al-Fatlawi, a member of Iraq's parliament representing Karbala province, issued a detailed account of the operation based on what he described as his own private sources. According to al-Fatlawi's statement, a force believed to be American carried out a rapid airborne insertion under air cover in the Najaf-Karbala desert at approximately 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The force reportedly entered from the direction of Syria, comprising between four and seven helicopters accompanied by military Humvee vehicles, and deployed in an area roughly 40 kilometers from the town of al-Nukhayb.
In response, a military force from the Karbala Operations Command, consisting of around 30 Humvees bearing Iraqi flags, was dispatched to investigate reports that had initially surfaced through Iranian media channels, al-Fatlawi said. The timing of those reports coincided with separate bombardments in the Samawa desert and in Anbar province, heightening tensions and fueling speculation about a broader security escalation in the region.
The Iraqi reconnaissance force came under gunfire and aerial bombardment during its mission, resulting in the death of one fighter and the wounding of two others, with one military vehicle also damaged, al-Fatlawi said.
A second parliamentarian, Mohammed Jassim al-Khafaji, corroborated the account in a Facebook post on Wednesday, confirming that approximately 30 Iraqi army Humvees from the Karbala operations command were sent to assess the situation and were struck by aerial fire. Al-Khafaji stated that American forces consisting of helicopters and ground troops were stationed in the area.
A senior government source who spoke on condition of anonymity provided further details, revealing that the initial intelligence about the airborne operation came from an Iraqi sheep herder in the area of al-Thubanah, a sub-district of Najaf province. The herder reported sighting between five and seven helicopters along with desert-camouflaged Humvees.
Authorities in the area responded by heightening security precautions and verifying the incoming intelligence to counter what the source described as an intrusion. A military telegram was sent from Najaf authorities at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday reporting that military forces and the Popular Mobilization Forces had come under a foreign attack.
The source identified one of the wounded as Colonel Haider Abdel Sadah Radhi al-Khazai, commander of the 2nd Regiment of the 41st Brigade under the Karbala Operations Command, who was transferred along with three other injured personnel to a hospital in Karbala where they remain under treatment.
Iraq's Joint Operations Command confirmed in a statement on Wednesday morning that its forces had been struck by bombardment while conducting an inspection operation in the desert area linking Karbala and Najaf provinces at dawn. The command announced the formation of a high-level investigative committee to determine the full circumstances of the incident.
In notably firm language, the command's statement said that repeated incidents targeting Iraqi security forces on their own soil while carrying out their duties constitute "an unjustified violation and an unacceptable breach" that would be dealt with in accordance with prevailing military laws and conventions.
Observers believe the operation could signal a significant escalation in the security landscape of western Iraq, a vast and geographically complex region characterized by deep valleys, rocky hills, and sand dunes reaching heights of approximately 200 meters, which has long served as a corridor between Iraq, Syria, and territories linked to Iranian-backed groups.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
