Iraq restates call for removal of US troops following assassination of militia leader

Iraq has reiterated its call to end the US military presence in the country following the death of a high-ranking militia commander in a "unilateral strike” in Baghdad.

The US strike killed at least three people, including senior Kataib Hezbollah commanders Abu Baqir al-Saadi and Arkan al-Alaywi. Video footage of the strike site in eastern Baghdad showed an SUV engulfed in flames. 

The US said the Kataib Hezbollah commander killed in Wednesday’s strike was “responsible for directly planning and participating in attacks on US forces in the region".

Wednesday's attack provoked an outcry in Baghdad, with the government again promising to remove US forces from Iraq in response.

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