Iraq armed group says commander, fighters killed in strike

BAGHDAD

A strike in western Iraq on March 24 killed a commander and 14 fighters from the former paramilitary coalition Hashed al-Shaabi, the group said.

The fighters from the Hashed al-Shaabi, also known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), were killed in a "treacherous American attack that targeted the operation headquarters" in western Anbar province, the statement said. An earlier toll put the toll at seven.

The PMF is now part of Iraq's regular army, but also includes some pro-Iranian groups.

The bombing targeted a base in Anbar province during a commanders' meeting, a source from the group told AFP, blaming the United States for the attack.

A PMF statement condemned the strike, which it said killed the provincial commander and head of operations in Anbar, Saad Dawai al-Baiji, as well as several fighters.

Iraq has been unwillingly pulled into the war triggered by Israel and the United States striking Iran on Feb. 28.

Pro-Iran armed groups have claimed responsibility for attacks on U.S. interests in Iraq and across the region, while strikes have also targeted these groups.

Since the start of the conflict, Baghdad has repeatedly denounced attacks on the Hashed al-Shaabi.

Last week, the Pentagon acknowledged for the first time that combat helicopters had carried out strikes against pro-Iran armed groups in Iraq during the latest conflict.

Meanwhile, Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region accused Iran on March 24 of launching an attack against its peshmerga armed forces, following the deaths of six fighters.

"Six Iranian ballistic missiles targeted them" in two attacks, the region's armed forces ministry said in a statement, adding that the incident killed six people and wounded 30 others.

It is the first deadly attack on the regional security forces since the Middle East war began.