US, Saudi Airstrikes Target PMF Positions Across Iraq, Dozens Reported Martyred and Wounded

By Staff, Agencies

The Popular Mobilization Forces [PMF] announced that at least 20 of its fighters were martyred and 32 others wounded following a series of airstrikes that struck multiple locations across Iraq.

According to a PMF statement, the strikes targeted several official headquarters in Baghdad, Wasit, Nineveh, Basra, Kirkuk, Karbala and Diyala provinces, causing casualties and significant damage to buildings and infrastructure. The organization described the attacks as coordinated strikes carried out by the United States and Saudi Arabia.

PMF sources told AFP that the deadliest strike hit a base belonging to the 30^th Brigade in the Nineveh Plain, where at least 10 fighters were reported martyred, with the toll expected to rise. Additional casualties were reported at other targeted sites.

Reports from Iraq indicated that airstrikes also hit a PMF camp in the Nineveh Plain, a military headquarters in the Al-Suwaira district of Wasit province, the Al-Deer area in Basra province, and locations north of Karbala. Explosions were also reported in the Al-Zab area of Kirkuk.

The United States Central Command [CENTCOM] said it carried out what it described as precision strikes against Iran-aligned groups, claiming the operations were conducted in response to attacks on US forces and Saudi energy facilities.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense stated that its armed forces coordinated with CENTCOM to conduct strikes against militia targets inside Iraq, alleging the targeted groups were linked to attacks on petroleum facilities in the Kingdom.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq denied Saudi accusations that it was responsible for attacks on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province and Riyadh. The group argued that the allegations were intended to deflect attention from Yemen's military operations and warned that any future Saudi military action would be met with retaliation.

The group also called on Saudi authorities to end the blockade on Yemen instead of directing accusations toward Iraq.