Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh delivered an official statement from the Iraqi cabinet today regarding the Sunday morning raid in the city of Kut. They declared the raid “an unacceptable violation of the forces’ withdrawal agreement between the two countries,” and “called on the U.S. side to reconsider the incident in light of the agreement’s articles.”
The statement was in keeping with previous comments by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who called the raid “criminal” and likewise said it was “a violation of the security pact.” Maliki had also called for the United States to turn over the soldiers involved in the raid to the Iraqi court system, to the great concern of the American Congress.
The official press release from the US declared the raid had captured a “financier” for an Iranian-backed Shi’ite militant faction, and six of his associates, as well as killing a “hostile” man and an unarmed woman. In reality, the troops arrested an extended family, including an Iraqi police captain, and killed two innocent civilians. Though the US released the captives and privately apologized to them, as confirmed by the Iraqi government today, they have yet to publicly state their position on the matter.