SecDef, Gen. Milley: Kataeb Hezbollah Will ‘Likely Regret’ Further Provocative Behavior

Kataeb Hezbollah Will ‘Likely Regret’ Further Provocative Behavior

JAN. 2, 2020 | BY C. TODD LOPEZ

U.S. forces in Iraq were attacked Dec. 27 near Kirkuk by Kataeb Hezbollah, a group with links to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force. The attack, which involved 31 rockets fired, killed one American civilian contractor and injured four American service members as well as two partners in the Iraqi security forces, Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper said.

“The U.S. military responded, and took defensive actions by striking KH bases in western Iraq and western Syria, striking a combination of the command and control [center] or weapons caches with considerable effect,” Esper said during a press gaggle in the Pentagon today. “The attacks were quite successful.”

In the wake of the KH attack, the defense department has deployed an infantry battalion —  about 750 soldiers —  from the Immediate Response Force of the 82nd Airborne Division to the U.S. Central Command area of operations. Additional forces from the IRF prepared to deploy over the next several days, the defense secretary said.

“They are deploying to the region to, on order, reinforce our facilities and to protect our personnel in the region as called upon, and obviously they have the capability to perform other missions as well, as need be,” Esper said.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark A. Milley described the forces from the 82nd Airborne as a “general-purpose unit,” on a defensive mission, adding that such a unit exists precisely for the types of situations it was called upon to respond to.

“It’s going over there, it’s going to be in Kuwait, and they may have follow-on missions in other places,” Milley said. “But their purpose is defensive in nature, to defend U.S. personnel, equipment and facilities.”

The chairman said other U.S. forces have been alerted, though no decision has yet been made to deploy those forces. “But there are a variety of forces that are alerted and prepared if necessary depending on the situation, as we move forward,” Milley said.

Esper said “provocative behavior” by Iranian-backed Shia militias has been ongoing for several months. The Dec. 27 attack was the latest, he said, adding that while he believes the attacks may continue, the U.S. is ready.

“They’ve been shooting rockets, indirect fire, any type of things, attacking our bases for months now,” the defense secretary said.

“In the last two [months] alone we’ve [had] nearly a dozen attacks against U.S. forces, against our coalition partners. So do I think they may do something [else?] Yes. And they will likely regret it. And we are prepared to exercise self-defense, and we are prepared to deter further bad behavior from these groups, all of which are sponsored, and directed and rescued by Iran,” Esper said.

Press Gaggle: Its all about Iran

Let me just say up front, add a little bit to the fact sheet that [the staff] gave us. As you know, last Friday, U.S. forces were attacked by Kata’ib Hezbollah in – at a base near Kirkuk. Thirty-one rockets fired, one American killed, regrettably. Several wounded, and some of our Iraqi partners were wounded as well. 

The United States military responded, took defensive actions by striking K.H. bases in western Iraq and eastern Syria, striking a combination of the command and control or weapons caches with considerable effect. The attacks were quite successful. 

In the wake of that, as you all know, we’ve seen Iranian-sponsored members of the same militia and others, protesting, taking violent actions against our embassy in Baghdad.  The embassy staff and Marines there performed admirably. We have reinforced our presence, just as a prudent measure, and we continue to reinforce not just their presence but [are] prepared to reinforce other positions throughout the region as – as required over the coming days. 

Again, the – the importance of the safety and security of our people always comes first, but we obviously have clear goals in the region. One of them is that Iran become a normal country and behaves like a normal country and stops with its malign activities that they’ve been exercising now for 40 years throughout that region. 

This is just the latest example of Iranian bad behavior in the region, in Iraq specifically, attacking U.S. coalition and partner forces, involving themselves in the sovereign government of Iraq and doing other things that upsets the balance and creates turmoil in the entire region. 

The battalion of the 82nd to Kuwait are deploying to the region to be – to, on order, reinforce our facilities and to protect our personnel in the region as called upon.

GEN. MILLEY: The 82nd Battalion is a general-purpose unit. It’s the DRF, the Division Ready Force, the 82nd Airborne Division’s Division Ready Brigade. It’s a rapid-reaction force for exactly these type of situations, so it’s going over there. It’s going to be in Kuwait, and they may have follow-on missions in other places. But their purpose is defensive in nature, to defend U.S. personnel, equipment, facilities.

So there’s a variety of echeloned reaction forces throughout the CENTCOM AOR. So what you saw, there were – there were 200 or so contractors, and there was about another – less than a hundred but more than 50 U.S. military personnel at the embassy. 

So [the] immediate reaction was a Special Purpose MAGTF, and that’s what you saw going in with the MV-22s and all that. In addition to that, there was unmanned and manned aircraft and helicopters and all that. You saw all that on the video. 

In addition to that echelon, even further, you know, the secretary decided to go ahead and the president decided to approve the deployment of the Division Ready Force and Battalion Task Force out of the 82nd. We’ve alerted other forces. They haven’t yet been decided to deploy but there’s a variety of forces that are alerted and prepared, if necessary, depending on the situation as we move forward.