Iraqi forces thwart bomb attack targeting US-led coalition convoy

Iraqi security forces thwarted yet another attack against a convoy belonging to the US-led Global Coalition on Sunday, local media reported.

Security services detonated two roadside bombs located near al-Hillah on the highway leading to the Iraqi capital Baghdad, which were targeting a coalition convoy, a source in the security services told the Iraqi Shafaq News Agency.

Roadside attacks against the US-led coalition have been multiplying over the past weeks as the scheduled withdrawal of US troops from Iraq draws near.

On Thursday, Iraqi security forces averted an attempt to bomb a convoy in southern Iraq. On December 5, a roadside bomb targeted a coalition convoy without resulting in any casualties.

The Global Coalition Against Daesh (the Arabic acronym for IS) was deployed in Iraq and Syria to defeat the extremist militant group, who declared an Islamic caliphate in 2014. The coalition included around 2,500 US troops who are scheduled to pull out of Iraq at the end of this year.

But pro-Iran political factions in Iraq have repeatedly voiced skepticism over Washington’s intent to withdraw its troops. The US already announced that some troops would remain in Iraq to "advise and train" Iraqi security forces, and that it would continue to carry out bombings against IS.

Pro-Iran factions have voiced opposition to this and are suspected of being behind a string of recent attacks against US troops and Iraqi government figures, including an attempt to assassinate the Iraqi Prime Minister in early November.