Iraq army official condemns U.S. drone strike in Baghdad of Iran-backed militia commander: "Blatant assassination"

Iraqi officials on Thursday condemned an overnight U.S. drone strike in Baghdad that killed a senior commander of the Iran-backed militia suspected of carrying out the attack on a U.S. base in Jordan that killed three American troops. A spokesperson for the Iraqi Armed Forces called the strike a "blatant assassination" and said it was an example of the destabilizing influence of U.S. and allied troops in the country.

The U.S. military's Central Command confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that it had "conducted a unilateral strike in Iraq in response to the attacks on U.S. service members, killing a Kata'ib Hezbollah commander responsible for directly planning and participating in attacks on U.S. forces in the region."

"There are no indications of collateral damage or civilian casualties at this time," the statement said.