As the fallout continues from Sunday’s US military strike into Syria, Syria’s cabinet today denounced Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh for comments made in the wake of the attack which they said were an “unacceptable and irresponsible justification for this heinous aggression which was launched from the Iraqi territories against a neighboring Arab country.”
Al-Dabbagh said the attack was launched against “terrorist groups operating from Syria against Iraq” and said the Iraqi government “had asked Syria to hand over this group, which uses Syria as a base for its terrorist activities.” The following day, al-Dabbagh read a statement denouncing the US attack and saying the use of Iraq “as a staging ground to attack neighboring countries” was a violation of its constitution.
The strike, which the US says targeted “elements of a robust foreign fighter logistics network” and Syrian witnesses say killed eight civilians, have been widely condemned in the region. It is unclear if the Iraqi government was informed prior to the strike but it appears that Iraqi police played a role, if inadvertent, in provoking the strike, as al-Arabiya news reports they provided the “tip” which led to the US attack.