Killing of militia commander Mohandes a clear breach of US troop mandate: Iraqi military

Iraq's military condemned on Friday the killing of militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes by US forces in an air strike on Baghdad airport and said it was a clear breach of their mandate in Iraq.

“The Joint Operations Command mourns the hero martyr ... who was martyred last night in a cowardly and treacherous attack carried out by American aircraft near Baghdad international airport,” it said in a statement.

“We affirm that what happened is a flagrant violation of Iraqi sovereignty and a clear breach by the American forces of their mandate which is exclusively to fight Islamic State and provide advice and assistance to Iraqi security forces.”

The air strike also killed Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander and architect of its growing military influence in the Middle East, and several Iraqi militiamen.