Kuwait summons Iraq’s chargé d’affaires over attacks launched from Iraqi territory

BAGHDAD — Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry summoned Iraq’s chargé d’affaires on Wednesday to deliver a formal protest over attacks launched by Iraqi armed factions that targeted Kuwaiti territory a day earlier.

Kuwait condemned “in the strongest terms these dangerous practices that violate its sovereignty and constitute a clear breach of the rules of international law,” saying the attacks caused casualties among civilians and military personnel as well as “substantial material losses and damage.”

The ministry said launching attacks against Kuwait using Iraqi territory or that of any neighboring state “constitutes a crime of aggression criminalized under international law,” and stressed “the importance of the Republic of Iraq taking practical and tangible steps to address and stop these attacks.”

Iraqi officials had not issued a response at the time of publication.

The protest adds to the diplomatic pressure on Baghdad as Iran-aligned Iraqi militias continue to claim attacks across the region. Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein told Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday that Iraq is being targeted by both sides in the war and is “the affected party, not a participant.”