Baghdad: A Shiite militant group that
Washington alleges is sponsored by neighbouring Iran claimed
responsibility on Friday for this week's rocket attack that killed
five American soldiers in Iraq.
Ketaib Hezbollah said in a statement posted on its
website said it was behind Monday's bombing in the Baladiyat
district in eastern Baghdad.
"The occupiers are still staining our soil," the
Arabic-language statement said, referring to American troops
who have been stationed in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion
and are readying to finish a pullout at the end of this year.
"We killed and wounded tens of their (US) soldiers
with this attack," the statement said.
A brief statement by the US military in Iraq said
after the attack that "five US service members were killed
Monday in central Iraq," without giving other details.
Ketaib Hezbollah added it had several rockets "ready
to be used at any time to target enemy bases, especially its
embassy," referring to the US embassy in Baghdad, the largest
in the world and located inside the heavily fortified Green
Zone that houses government ministries and many other
embassies.
Nearly a year ago, the then top US military commander
in Baghdad said that Ketaib Hezbollah had received specialist
training in Iran to help mount an attack on American military
bases in Iraq.
PTI
First Published: Friday, June 10, 2011, 22:30