The strikes on Sunday hit “operational and weapons storage facilities”, in response to drone attacks on US forces, the Pentagon said in a statement.

According to the Pentagon, the “defensive precision airstrikes” hit two targets in Syria and one in Iraq. It said several Iran-backed militia groups, including Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, used these facilities.

President Joe Biden would “act to protect US personnel”, the statement added.

The US took “necessary, appropriate, and deliberate action designed to limit the risk of escalation – but also to send a clear and unambiguous deterrent message”, the statement said.

The Pentagon did not provide any information on casualties but reports say five militia fighters were killed in Syria.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said several more fighters were wounded “in an attack by US warplanes”

Other media in Syria reported that a child had died and at least three other people were wounded.

This is the second round of airstrikes President Biden has authorised against Iran-backed militias since taking office in January.

About 2500 US forces based in Iraq have been targeted several times in recent months by drone attacks and although Iran has denied any involvement, the country funds Hezbollah and Hamas. Since 2009, the US has designated Kataib Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation, accusing it of threatening the peace and stability of Iraq.

Biden delivered the historic statement from precisely the same spot in the White House Treaty Room that President George W. Bush announced the start of the war on October 7, 2001.

Biden said after the statement he’ll visit the section of Arlington National Cemetery where many of America’s war dead from Afghanistan are buried.

Biden said “We cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan hoping to create the ideal conditions for our withdrawal, expecting a different result. I am now the fourth American president to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan. Two Republicans. Two Democrats,” he added. “I will not pass this responsibility to a fifth. It is time to end America’s longest war. It is time for American troops to come home”

Biden said the withdrawal will begin on May 1, in line with an agreement President Donald Trump’s administration made with the Taliban. He said the complete withdrawal will be done by September 11.

Some US troops will remain to protect American diplomats, though officials declined to provide a precise number.

ABC News reported that Congress had already allocated the money in December for the U.S. Agency for International Development to provide to Gavi, an international vaccine distribution alliance. The congress provided a total of $4 billion and officials said that the U.S. would give the rest to Gavi over the course of this year and 2022.

President Biden intends to announce during a virtual meeting of the Group of Seven leaders.

To date, 10 countries have administered 75% of all COVID-19 vaccines, while more than 130 countries have not yet received a single dose, the United Nations said Wednesday.

The United States has so far purchased 600 million vaccine doses, but it does not intend to give any of them to other countries until “there is sufficient supply in the United States.”

The Democrat issued a presidential memorandum aimed at expanding the protection of the rights of LGBTQI people worldwide.

Biden’s memo reads, “When foreign governments move to restrict the rights of LGBTQI+ persons or fail to enforce legal protections in place, thereby contributing to a climate of intolerance, agencies engaged abroad shall consider appropriate responses, including using the full range of diplomatic and assistance tools and, as appropriate, financial sanctions, visa restrictions, and other actions. All human beings should be treated with respect and dignity and should be able to live without fear no matter who they are or whom they love. The United States belongs at the forefront of this struggle – speaking out and standing strong for our most dearly held values.”

The memo directs US agencies working in foreign countries to work harder to combat the criminalisation by foreign governments of LGBTQ status or conduct and directs the State Department to include anti-LGBTQ violence, discrimination, and laws in its annual human rights report.

Nigeria is categorized as a homophobic country due to its anti-gay laws which have been heavily criticised by global rights groups. The anti-gay laws in Nigeria, a leading ant-LGBTQI country in Africa, prescribes between 10 and 14 years in prison for anyone caught flouting the law either by cohabitation between same-sex sexual partners, public show of same-sex relationship, registration, operation or participation in gay clubs, societies and organisation, amongst others.

In January 2014, ex- Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan signed the Same-Sex-Marriage (Prohibition) Act despite pressure from former US President, Barrack Obama.

The USTDA posted on its website on Tuesday while announcing Ebong’s appointment “The appointment meant a return to USTDA where from 2004 to 2019, Ms Ebong had served in a variety of roles, most recently as the Agency’s General Counsel, and Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer. As Acting Director, Ms Ebong leads an agency that partners with the U.S. private sector to develop sustainable infrastructure and foster economic growth in emerging economies while supporting U.S. jobs through the export of U.S. goods and services.”

Before her appointment, Ebong served as the head of strategic partnerships at the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream. There, she led the development of strategic partnerships to improve access to health, education, financial empowerment and entrepreneurship.

During her swearing-in ceremony, she said “It is an honour to return to USTDA. The opportunity to lead the Agency comes at a critical moment when the world is turning to the United States for leadership on clean energy and climate-smart infrastructure, as well as safe and secure ICT solutions. The Agency is one of the most effective, targeted and proven tools within the U.S. government. I’ve long believed in USTDA’s mission and program, which are fully aligned with the President’s vision of strengthening our economy and addressing climate as an essential component of American foreign policy and national security.”