ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The United States on Thursday summoned Iraq’s ambassador to Washington to condemn a series of attacks by Iran-aligned militia groups in the country, accusing "some elements associated with the Iraqi government" of providing operational cover to such factions and urging Baghdad to dismantle them.

Following the outbreak of the US-Israeli war with Iran in late February, pro-Iran factions, many of whom are officially under the auspices of the Iraqi state via the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), began to extensively target US interests in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau called in Iraqi Ambassador Nizar Khirullah to express Washington’s “strong condemnation” of what it described as “egregious terrorist attacks” launched from Iraqi territory against US diplomatic personnel and facilities, "including the April 8 ambush of US diplomats in Baghdad."

"These attacks come after hundreds in recent weeks against US citizens, diplomatic facilities, and commercial interests, as well as Iraq’s neighbors and Iraqi institutions and civilians, including in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region," the US State Department said in a statement.

"While acknowledging the efforts of Iraqi Security Forces to respond to these terrorist attacks, the Deputy Secretary emphasized the Iraqi government’s failure to prevent these attacks while some elements associated with the Iraqi government continue to actively provide political, financial, and operational cover for the militias adversely impacts the US-Iraq relationship."

The deputy secretary warned that the ongoing violence is negatively affecting relations between Washington and Baghdad.

“The United States will not tolerate attacks on US interests,” the statement said, adding that Washington expects the Iraqi government to take immediate steps to dismantle Iran-aligned militia groups operating in the country.

The reaching of a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran has led to a lull in attacks in Iraq, with the Iran-aligned Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Shiite militias, on Wednesday saying that it too will refrain from offensive action during the period.