3 Popular Mobilization Forces fighters killed in western Iraq attack

ISTANBUL

Three fighters from Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) were killed and several wounded in an attack targeting a command headquarters in western Iraq, the group said Wednesday.

The PMF said the strike hit the headquarters of the Anbar Operations Command commander and the 2nd Regiment of the 45th Brigade in Anbar province, according to the official Iraqi News Agency (INA).

In a separate development, an explosion was reported at a PMF facility in Kirkuk province, according to an Anadolu correspondent. No immediate information was available on casualties or the cause of the blast.

Iraqi authorities have not yet issued a statement on the attacks.

The PMF, also known as the Hashd al-Shaabi, was originally formed June 14, 2014, as a volunteer force supporting Iraqi security forces in the fight against the ISIS (Daesh) terror group. It was formally incorporated into the armed forces by a government decree in July 2016.

The attack comes as the US and Israel have continued a joint offensive on Iran since Feb. 28, killing so far around 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan Iraq and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.