White House National Security Council Press Secretary John Kirby said he regretted the confusion caused by his comments.
The United States has admitted that it did not notify the Iraqi government before recent airstrikes, after a senior White House official insisted that Baghdad was notified in advance.
State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said Monday that Iraqi authorities only received the information after the attack on Iran-linked targets.
“Iraq, like other countries in the region, understood that there would be some response following the death of our soldiers. There was no advance notice of this specific response on Friday,” Patel said. told reporters. “We notified the Iraqi people immediately after the attack occurred.”
The clarification came after White House National Security Council Press Secretary John Kirby said Friday that the U.S. government had notified the Iraqi government in advance.
Kirby said Monday that in response to a reporter's question, he referred to “the information that was provided to me at the time.”
“It was not as specific as I expected. I regret that it has caused confusion,” he said.
“That being said, we have not made it a secret, either to Iraqi officials or publicly, that we respond to attacks on our troops. And in fact, we follow standard procedures and respond appropriately. officially notified Iraq.
US President Joe Biden on Friday announced that 85 locations in Iraq and Syria suspected of being linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) or pro-Iranian groups have been targeted following a drone attack that killed three US soldiers in Jordan. ordered air strikes on targets.
Iraq's government condemned the airstrike, which authorities said killed 16 people, including civilians, as a violation of its sovereignty that pushed regional security to “the brink of abyss.”
Iraqi government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi denied suggestions that Iraq had helped coordinate the attack, saying the US government had “published false statements aimed at misleading international opinion and denying legal responsibility.” accused of making a claim.
Since the start of the war in Gaza, the Biden administration has carried out attacks inside Iraq following a surge in attacks on U.S. forces that have been blamed on Iranian-aligned groups, adding to tensions between Washington and Baghdad. has been increasing in recent months.
About 2,500 U.S. troops are stationed in Iraq, a legacy of the U.S.-led coalition's war against the Islamic State (ISIS).
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said last month that he would begin talks with Baghdad about a U.S.-led withdrawal of troops from the country while maintaining security ties between the two countries.
