Soldiers Die in Airstrike in Iraq
Seven Iraqi soldiers were killed and 13 others injured in an airstrike in Iraq’s western Anbar province, according to statements from the Ministry of Defense. The attack reportedly targeted a position of the Shiite Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an umbrella organization of militias supported by Iran. According to the ministry, a nearby military clinic and a technical unit were also hit. Rescue teams are currently searching for more potential victims.
The government in Baghdad condemned the incident as “a crime that violates international law in every respect and harms relations between Iraq and the United States.” Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani’s office, citing an army spokesperson, announced that the Iraqi armed forces reserve the right to “respond by all available means.” The Foreign Ministry has been instructed to summon the Chargé d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy to deliver a “strongly worded letter of protest.”
The PMF have repeatedly reported attacks on their facilities in recent weeks, amidst the broader regional conflict involving Iran. The group maintains close ties with Tehran. On Tuesday, the militia reported that at least 14 of its members, including a regional commander, were killed in U.S. airstrikes in Anbar. In previous incidents, the PMF had also attributed attacks to a joint U.S.-Israeli effort, though neither the U.S. nor Israel commented on those claims.
