Alwaght- A military convoy belonging to Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) has come under attack near the Iraq-Syria border.
Media reports blamed the attack on the the US, but Pentagon denied any involvement, with Army Colonel Wayne Morotto saying in a tweet that the US "did not conduct air strikes in al-Bukamal, Sept. 14, 2021."
Sabereen News, a Telegram news channel associated with the PMF, said the attack took place late on Tuesday and targeted three vehicles carrying infrared monitoring equipment in the town of al-Bukamal in the eastern province of Deir ez-Zor.
The news channel said the convoy was struck by four missiles fired from US F-15 fighter jets, and that the attack left no casualties.
Syria’s official news agency SANA, citing military officials in Iraq's western Anbar province, said, "Warplanes and drones directed four missiles at the headquarters of the Popular Mobilization regiments that are securing the Syrian-Iraqi border strip."
The vehicles were carrying infrared monitoring equipment, which is used by the PMF and other counter-terrorism forces to prevent infiltration by members of the ISIS terrorist group.
Iraqi and Syria experts consider the attacks to be an attempt by the US to entrench and prolong its military presence in the countries by targeting the groups that fight directly against ISIS, Washington’s apparent excuse for the military interference.
The US’s presence in both the countries is illegal.
In the case of Iraq, the country’s parliament passed a law early last year, mandating cancellation of Baghdad’s permit for the US-led forces’ presence.
The law secured the approval of the legislative body’s overwhelming majority, which came in response to an earlier US drone attack that had martyred senior Iranian and Iraqi anti-terror commanders, Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
Iraq’s resistance outfits have vowed not to lay down their arms until the US winds down its illegal presence and meddling in Iraq.
