At least 30 killed in strikes on PMF headquarters in western Iraq

ISTANBUL

At least 30 people were killed and dozens injured in airstrikes targeting headquarters of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in Anbar in western Iraq on Thursday, Iraqi media reported.

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.

No information was yet available about the party behind the strikes.

The attack came as the US and Israel continued airstrikes on Iran that began Feb. 28, 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 US 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 ISIS (Daesh) terror group. It was formally incorporated into Iraq’s armed forces by a government decree in July 2016.