Matt Gaetz Calls for US Withdrawal From Iraq After Drone Attack

Florida Representative Matt Gaetz called for American troops to be pulled out of Iraq after airstrikes on a U.S. military base Monday injured three soldiers, one critically.

According to a statement from U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the strikes on the Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq were launched by Kataib Hezbollah militants, leaving one U.S. soldier in "critical condition" and wounding two others. President Joe Biden later ordered retaliatory air attacks on three facilities used by the Iranian-backed militant group and its allies, which were carried out at 8:45 p.m. Monday. U.S. Central Command said that early assessments indicate a number of Kataib Hezbollah militants were killed in the counterstrikes, and that there were "no indications that any civilian lives were affected."

The retaliatory measures were quickly condemned by the Iraqi government, which said that over 18 people, including some civilians, were injured in the U.S. airstrikes. The attacks also shed light on the growing tensions in the Middle East in light of the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, which has sparked fighting between Israel's military and several Iranian-backed militant groups in the region.

"We should leave Iraq," Gaetz, a conservative, wrote in a post to his personal account on X, formerly Twitter, Tuesday afternoon.

The Iraqi government said in a statement on Tuesday that the U.S. retaliatory strikes on Kataib Hezbollah were a "clear hostile act," adding that "it runs counter to the pursuit of enduring mutual interests in establishing security and stability, and it opposes the declared intention of the American side to enhance relations with Iraq."

Other groups also condemned the U.S. retaliatory strikes, including Code Pink, a women-led, progressive grassroots movement that calls for the end of "U.S. warfare and imperialism."

"After 20 years of bringing mass destruction, chaos, and corruption, the U.S. military continues to attack civilians in Iraq, stoking more war & instability against the will of the people," Code Pink wrote on X Tuesday. "There is no good reason for the U.S. to be in Iraq. Troops home NOW!"

When reached for comment Tuesday evening, the U.S. Department of Defense directed Newsweek to a previous statement by Austin, who said that the U.S. retaliatory strikes were "necessary and proportionate."

"And let me be clear – the President and I will not hesitate to take necessary action to defend the United States, our troops, and our interests," Austin added in the statement Monday. "There is no higher priority. While we do not seek to escalate conflict in the region, we are committed and fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities."

The U.S. military said in late 2021 that it had completely transitioned from a combat mission in Iraq to one that is meant to "advise, assist and enable" Iraqi forces. The New York Times reported at the time that roughly 2,500 U.S. troops would remain on the ground in such support roles.

Biden last month also ordered two rounds of attacks against militia groups in Iraq that U.S. Central Command said were responsible for a campaign of rocket and drone attacks against American troops in Iraq and Syria, where U.S. service members are also stationed for advisory roles to the Syrian government.

The November strikes were strongly condemned by Iraqi government spokesperson Bassam al-Awadi, who said in a statement to Newsweek that the "Iraqi government asserts that the recent escalation in the Iraqi arena over the past two days is a dangerous development involving an unacceptable violation of Iraqi sovereignty."