Iraq Air Strikes Kill Three Militia Fighters and Two Police Officers

US and Israeli Strikes Target Iraqi Forces, Blamed for Deadly Air Raids

Air strikes targeting Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) have resulted in the deaths of three fighters and two Iraqi police officers. The US-Israeli war on Iran has continued to spill over into Iraq, with Saturday’s double-bombing of the PMF’s headquarters near Kirkuk Airport also injuring two other fighters and six Iraqi soldiers.

A statement from the ex-paramilitary coalition, now integrated into the regular Iraqi army, blamed the United States and Israel for the attack, stating that those killed had been “subjected to a treacherous Zionist-American” assault. The incident occurred in northern Iraq’s Kirkuk region, approximately 105 miles northwest of the city.

Separately, two members of the Iraqi police were reported killed in an air strike targeting the PMF in Mosul, about 170 kilometers northwest of Kirkuk. Security sources have confirmed that the strikes have escalated tensions in the region, with pro-Iran armed groups within the PMF claiming responsibility for attacks on US interests in Iraq and beyond.

Iraqi security officials have stated that the PMF takes its orders from Baghdad, but some factions are loyal to Tehran. This has created difficulties for the government in managing the different factions. The situation has become increasingly complex, with Baghdad facing pressure from both the US and Iran due to economic and security ties.

In addition to the air strikes, two drones were reported targeting an airbase serving as a hub for US and coalition forces near Erbil airport in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region. The US C-RAM air defence system intercepted the drones. A drone attack was also reported on the house of Nechirvan Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq.

French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed concern over the increased attacks in Iraq, calling them a “worrying development”. The Iraqi Ministry of Defence has confirmed that a drone crashed into the southern Majnoon oilfield without detonating, causing no damage or injuries.

Source: Al Jazeera