London
23 °C
Manchester
21 °C
Glasgow
16 °C
Dublin
19 °C
Belfast
18 °C
Washington
32 °C
Denver
33 °C
Atlanta
31 °C
Dallas
40 °C
Houston Texas
39 °C
New Orleans
29 °C
El Paso
34 °C
Phoenix
37 °C
Los Angeles
29 °C
San Diego
28 °C
San Francisco
20 °C
Chicago
21 °C
Minneapolis
22 °C
Seattle
31 °C
Portland
32 °C
Salt Lake City
30 °C
Las Vegas
38 °C
Miami
33 °C
Jacksonville
36 °C
San Antonio
38 °C
Bermuda
30 °C
Nassau
30 °C
Iqaluit
10 °C
Yellowknife
25 °C
Anchorage
12 °C
Fairbanks
12 °C
Barrow
4 °C
Calgary
28 °C
Edmonton
30 °C
Winnipeg
25 °C
Goose Bay
20 °C
Halifax
28 °C
Boston
30 °C
Ottawa
18 °C
Toronto
21 °C
Detroit
23 °C
Cleveland
20 °C
New York
31 °C
Baltimore
32 °C
Philadelphia
31 °C
Nuuk (Godthåb)
7 °C
Hong Kong
29 °C
Singapore
27 °C
Melbourne
32 °C
Canberra
7 °C
Adelaide
8 °C
Darwin
18 °C
Perth
9 °C
Fort Worth
40 °C
Honolulu
26 °C
Sydney
10 °C
Johannesburg
12 °C
Dubai
32 °C
Mumbai
28 °C
Zürich
19 °C
Tokyo
29 °C
Seoul
25 °C
Delhi
31 °C
Beijing
24 °C
Riyadh
38 °C
Prague
18 °C
Pennsylvania
28 °C
Valletta
29 °C
Manama
35 °C
Warsaw
18 °C
Stockholm
12 °C
An American air strike in Iraq on Wednesday killed a senior commander from a pro-Iran armed group who was involved in attacks on Washington's troops in the region, the US military said.
Washington launched a wave of strikes on Iran-linked targets in Iraq and Syria last week following the killing of three American troops in neighbouring Jordan on January 28, and the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the commander killed Wednesday was targeted "in response to the attacks on US service members."
The strike killed "a Kataeb Hezbollah commander responsible for directly planning and participating in attacks on US forces in the region," according to CENTCOM, which said there are "no indications of collateral damage or civilian casualties at this time."
"The United States will continue to take necessary action to protect our people. We will not hesitate to hold responsible all those who threaten our forces' safety," it added.
A member of Kataeb Hezbollah -- which announced it was suspending violence against US forces after the deadly Jordan attack -- confirmed a commander who was responsible for the "military file" in Syria had been killed, identifying him as Abu Baqr al-Saadi.
The Hashed al-Shaabi, a coalition of mainly pro-Iran paramilitaries now integrated into Iraq's regular security forces, also confirmed Saadi's death in a statement.
An interior ministry official said a total of three people -- two Kataeb Hezbollah leaders and their driver -- died in the strike, which was carried out by a drone in the east Baghdad neighbourhood of Machtal.
- 'Playing with fire' -
An AFP photographer said security forces deployed in the neighbourhood, barring access to it after the attack.
Later in the evening the remains of a car were removed from the area.
US and allied troops have been attacked more than 165 times in the Middle East since mid-October in a campaign waged by Iran-backed armed groups angered by US support for Israel in the war in Gaza.
The United States considers Kataeb Hezbollah -- which Washington says may have been involved in the Jordan attack -- a terrorist group.
The Hashed al-Shaabi has said that 16 of its fighters were killed and 36 people wounded in the US strikes on Friday, which Washington said hit 85 targets at seven different sites in Iraq Syria.
"Targeting the Hashed al-Shaabi is playing with fire," the group's leader Faleh al-Fayyad warned on Sunday.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said at least 29 pro-Iran fighters were killed in Syria.
The United States and Iraq opened talks on the future of the US-led troop presence in January, following a request by the Iraqi prime minister for a timetable for their withdrawal.
Washington has some 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq as part of an international coalition against the Islamic State group.
Its troops in Iraq are deployed at the invitation of Baghdad, but those in Syria are located in areas outside Syrian government control.
A.Freund--BlnAP
