According to the Jerusalem post, airstrikes have struck several bases belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq, killing more than a dozen fighters and adding another layer of tension to an already volatile region.
The attacks unfolded in the early hours of Thursday across multiple provinces, including Anbar and Kirkuk. According to reporting by Rudaw Media Network in the Kurdish city of Erbil, “more than a dozen members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), also known as Hashd al-Shaabi, were killed in two separate strikes targeting the group’s bases in Kirkuk and Anbar provinces in the early hours of Thursday, amid escalating regional tensions.”
One of the most deadly incidents occurred near the border town of Al-Qaim, where a PMF camp was hit, leaving ten members dead. Other strikes reportedly targeted facilities around northern Iraq, including near Kirkuk.
The PMF, an umbrella organization of dozens of militia factions formed in 2014, occupies a complicated position in Iraq. Many of its brigades were originally independent armed groups, several with long-standing ties to Iran. Since 2018, however, the force has been formally integrated into Iraq’s security structure, with fighters receiving government salaries while still maintaining strong political and military links to Tehran.
Some of the most prominent factions within the network, including Kataib Hezbollah, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, and Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, are designated as terrorist organizations by the United States.
The strikes come after months of rising violence. Militias linked to the PMF have carried out roughly 300 attacks on military facilities, airports, and diplomatic sites across Iraq since the war involving the US, Israel, and Iran intensified. Targets have included bases near Baghdad, the Balad Air Base, and locations in the Kurdistan Region.