Members of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi, an alliance of factions now integrated into the regular army, carry the coffin of the Hashd al-Shaabi operations commander for Al-Anbar, Saad Dawai alongside others during a mass funaral in Baghdad. AFP
The PMF, a state-linked coalition of former paramilitary groups also known as Hashed al-Shaabi, is part of Iraq’s regular armed forces but includes brigades aligned with Iran. The coalition blamed the strike that killed a commander and 14 other fighters on the United States.
In Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, a ballistic missile attack killed six peshmerga fighters, with the region accusing Iran of carrying out the first such deadly attack on Kurdish security forces since the war began. The Kurdish defence ministry said 30 others were wounded.
Neither the United States nor Iran commented on the accusations.
The overnight strike targeted a base in Anbar province bordering Syria, long a hub for operations against the Islamic State group.
In a statement, the PMF said those killed included a top provincial commander, describing the strike as a “treacherous American attack that targeted the operation headquarters.”
On Tuesday, the PMF urged “political forces to take responsibility and confront these repeated American violations,” and said a “Zionist-American strike” earlier that morning had targeted their office in the northern city of Mosul.
A security official said the building was the second home of coalition leader Faleh al-Fayyad, adding that he was not present during the attack.
Since the war began, suspected US strikes have repeatedly targeted pro-Iran armed groups, which in turn have claimed responsibility for attacks on US interests in Iraq and across the region.
Last week, the Pentagon acknowledged that combat helicopters had carried out strikes against pro-Iran armed groups in Iraq during the current conflict.
Iraq has been pulled into the war sparked by US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, which has since engulfed much of the region.
Since the start of the war, Baghdad has repeatedly denounced attacks on the PMF. After the jihadists were defeated in 2017, the coalition gained influence within the security forces, with its factions also developing political roles, including parliamentary representation and economic interests.
Some of these factions, backed by Iran, have claimed responsibility for dozens of drone and rocket attacks against US military personnel and interests since the start of the conflict.
Although close to Washington, Iraq’s Kurdish authorities have sought to maintain neutrality in the conflict with Iran, after relations with the Islamic republic had warmed in recent years.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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