Iraq's KH Shiite militia warns security forces to move 1,000 meters away from US bases

BAGHDAD - The Iranian-backed Iraqi Shiite militia Kata'ib Hezbollah (KH) warned Saturday the Iraqi security forces to move away from the US bases with no less than 1,000 meters starting from Sunday.

Abu Ali al-Askari, security leader of KH tweeted that "brothers in the Iraqi security services must stay away from the bases of the American enemy for a distance of no less than a thousand meters, starting from Sunday evening."

"The leaders of the security services must abide by the safety rules of their fighters and not allow them to be a human shield," al-Askari said.

The Iraqi parliament is scheduled to hold an emergency session to discuss the consequences of the killing of Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy chief of Iraq's paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces by a US drone airstrike.

Al-Askari's announcement came after two attacks targeting US forces in Baghdad's Green Zone which houses the US embassy, and a military air base housing US troops in Salahudin province.

The attacks took place after a US drone attack ordered by President Donald Trump killed Soleimani and al-Muhandis near Baghdad International Airport early on Friday.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani have vowed to retaliate against the United States over Soleimani's death.

Over 5,000 US troops have been deployed in Iraq to support the Iraqi forces in the battles against Islamic State (IS) militants, mainly providing training and advising to the Iraqi forces.

The troops are part of the US-led international coalition that has been conducting air raids against IS targets in both Iraq and Syria.