ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraq and the US on Friday announced the formation of a new joint committee aimed at increasing cooperation to prevent “terrorist attacks” and the use of Iraqi territory for “any aggression.”

Since the US-Israel war with Iran started in late February, Iraq has been the only country to be subjected to attacks from both sides of the war, with Iran and its proxies targeting US interests in the country, and US-Israeli strikes on pro-Iran militia groups.

“Within the framework of the strategic partnership between Iraq and the United States of America, and over many years of friendship…culminating in joint efforts to defeat ISIS [the Islamic State] — it was decided to establish a High Joint Coordination Committee,” read a joint statement from Baghdad and Washington.

On Thursday, the committee held its first meeting where the two sides decided to “intensify cooperation to prevent terrorist attacks and ensure that Iraqi territory is not used as a launching point for any aggression against the Iraqi people, the Iraqi Security Forces, Iraqi strategic facilities and assets, as well as against US personnel, diplomatic missions, and the Global Coalition.”

Iraq's pro-Iran Harakat al-Nujaba militia group late Wednesday called on the Iraqi parliament and national forces to cancel the security cooperation with the United States following a series of strikes on Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) positions.

American-Israeli strikes have targeted PMF positions across the country since the start of the conflict, killing over 80 PMF fighters and wounding hundreds others.

The US State Department, in remarks to The New Region on Wednesday, blamed Iraq for not disclosing the locations of security forces “to promote the safety of forces on the ground that are not involved in attacks against the United States.”

“Both sides emphasized their commitment to keeping Iraq outside the scope of the ongoing military conflict in the region, fully respecting its sovereignty, and supporting Iraq in ensuring its territory, airspace, and territorial waters cannot be used to threaten Iraq, or neighboring and regional states,” the statement added.

Pro-Iran groups operating under the umbrella of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq have repeatedly attacked US interests in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region since late February.

Many Iran-backed factions operating within the Islamic Resistance in Iraq have been officially incorporated into the Iraqi state security apparatus as part of the PMF, making the PMF a target for US-Israeli strikes.