A senior commander of an Iran-backed militia has been killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad.
A leader of Kataib Hezbollah and two of his guards were in a vehicle when it was targeted in the east of the Iraqi capital. All three of them died.
The Pentagon said the commander was responsible for directing attacks on American forces in the region.
The US has linked the militia to a drone attack in Jordan that killed three US troops last month.
In the wake of that attack, Kataib Hezbollah said it was suspending attacks on American troops to prevent “embarrassment” to the Iraqi government.
Wednesday night’s drone raid happened in Baghdad’s Mashtal neighbourhood, sparking several loud explosions.
It was a precise strike on a moving vehicle in a busy street and the car was reduced to a fiery wreck. One of the victims has been identified as Abu Baqir al-Saadi, a senior commander in Kataib Hezbollah.
US Central Command (Centcom) said the attack at 21:30 local time (18:30 GMT) had killed the “commander responsible for directly planning and participating in attacks on US forces in the region”. Credit: bbc.com
