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Iraq summoned the U.S. charge d’affaires in Baghdad on Wednesday after a strike targeted the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a state-linked coalition of Shiite paramilitary groups, and killed seven of its members, according to the prime minister’s office.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani instructed the foreign ministry to deliver a formal protest following the attack, which also wounded 13 personnel. Iraq would also file a formal complaint with the United Nations Security Council, supported by documentation, to assert its rights following the attack, it added.
The base targeted in the strike is located in Iraq’s western Anbar province near the Syrian border, an area that has long seen operations against the Daesh terrorist group. The facility is used by both Iraq’s regular forces and PMF units.
Iraq’s defense ministry said the attack involved airstrikes that also hit the base’s medical facility, describing it as a violation of international law. Rescue operations continued after the strike.
The latest incident marks the second strike in two days targeting forces in Anbar province. A previous attack on Tuesday killed 15 PMF fighters, according to the group, which said a senior commander was among those killed.
Before the last attack, Baghdad granted former paramilitary groups integrated into the armed forces the authority to respond to drone and air attacks targeting their positions, aiming to prevent Iraq from being drawn deeper into regional conflict.
Meanwhile, armed factions operating under the name Islamic Resistance in Iraq said they carried out 23 attacks on U.S. bases and assets in Iraq and across the region within a 24-hour period, using drones and rockets without providing details.
In northern Iraq, authorities in the Kurdish region said a ballistic missile strike on Tuesday targeted a peshmerga headquarters in Erbil’s Soran district, killing six fighters and wounding 30 others. Regional officials blamed Iran for the attack.
Kurdish Region President Nechirvan Barzani stated Wednesday that officials contacted Tehran after the strike, adding that Iran acknowledged it was a "mistake" and promised to conduct an investigation. He noted that the regional government is waiting for the outcome while reiterating that it condemned the attack.
Barzani added that the Kurdish region maintains a policy of stability and has previously declared it does not pose a threat to neighboring countries, including Iran. He also stressed that the region has not been part of the ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran and will not become involved.
Iran’s army, for its part, said the strikes targeted sites linked to U.S. forces at Erbil airport and Kurdish opposition groups nearby.
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