At least 30 people were killed and dozens wounded Thursday when airstrikes struck the headquarters of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in Anbar Province, according to Iraqi media reports.
Shafaq News, citing a security source, said airstrikes targeted at least three sites of the PMF’s 19th Brigade in the town of Akashat in western Anbar.
"The base was destroyed, and the rescue teams who arrived at the site were also targeted," one official said.
No information was yet available about the party behind the strikes. But the Iran-backed faction said in a statement that a "Zionist-American aggression" targeted their fighters, though it did not provide a death toll.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani also condemned the airstrikes.
The attack came as the U.S. and Israel continued airstrikes on Iran that began on Feb. 28, so far killing more than 1,200 people and injuring over 10,000 others.
Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Iraq, and Gulf countries that are home to U.S. military assets.
The PMF, also known as the Hashd al-Shaabi, was originally formed on June 14, 2014, as a volunteer force supporting Iraqi security forces in the fight against the Daesh terrorist group.
It was formally incorporated into Iraq’s armed forces by a government decree in July 2016.
