On Monday, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price stated that Washington “will respond in a way that's calculated within our own timetable and using a mix of tools at a time and place of our choosing” to recent missile attacks against American assets in Iraq.
US President Joe Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi conferred about the recent rocket attacks on Iraqi and coalition forces during a phone call held on Tuesday, according to an official White House announcement. The two leaders agreed that those responsible for the attacks “must be held fully to account.”
During the phone call, the two leaders also discussed “the importance of advancing the Strategic Dialogue” between the two countries and further the improvement of US-Iraqi relations in spheres of mutual interest. Biden and Al-Kadhimi agreed to “stay in close touch” over the coming days and weeks.
Earlier in the day, in a separate statement, Al-Kadhimi, while commenting on the phone call with the US president, said that they “reaffirmed our commitment to bolstering Iraqi-US ties for the benefit of our peoples and cooperation in fighting Daesh to ensure regional peace and stability”.
He pointed out that the US-Iraq Strategic Dialogue “continues to serve as a roadmap for the future”.
The attacks started last week with a dozen rockets hitting a number of Iraqi military objects, including Erbil Air Base. One civilian was reported…