By Ahmed Rasheed
March 24 (Reuters) – Apparent U.S.-Israeli airstrikes hit a headquarters of Iraq’s umbrella group for Iran-backed Shi’ite militia and a residence belonging to its leader on Tuesday, an escalation of U.S.-Israeli strikes on one of Tehran’s main regional allies.
Popular Mobilization Forces leader Falih al-Fayadh was not present when his residence was hit in the northern city of Mosul, which he uses only during visits to the city, according to two security sources.
At least 15 PMF fighters were killed in the airstrikes that hit a headquarters of the group in Iraq’s Euphrates valley province of Anbar, according to the sources and a statement from the group.
The dead included the PMF’s operations commander in the province, Saad al-Baiji. Later on Tuesday, a large crowd of angry mourners carried his coffin and portraits through the streets of Baghdad.
The statement said U.S. forces had targeted a command headquarters in Anbar while personnel were on duty. The security sources said the strikes there hit during a meeting attended by senior commanders.
Thirty other people were wounded, security and health sources said. The health sources said some of the wounded were in critical condition and the death toll could rise. Reuters filmed ambulances bringing the wounded to hospital in the regional capital Ramadi during the night.
The PMF, known in Arabic as Hashd al-Shaabi, is an umbrella group of mostly Shi’ite paramilitary factions that was formally integrated into Iraq’s state security forces and includes several groups aligned with Iran.
Tehran-backed armed groups have launched attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and the U.S. embassy since the United States and Israel launched their war on Iran on February 28.
The conflict has spilled beyond Iran’s borders, with Tehran launching strikes on Israel and Gulf Arab states hosting U.S. military installations, while Israel has carried out attacks in Lebanon following cross-border fire by Iran-aligned Hezbollah.
(Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed; Additional reporting by Enas Alashray and Yomna Ehab; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Peter Graff)
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.