US-Israeli Strikes Target PMF Brigades in Iraq

(MENAFN) US-Israeli airstrikes pounded positions belonging to Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in two western and central provinces late Tuesday, the paramilitary umbrella group confirmed.

According to a PMF statement, three successive strikes hammered the 45th Brigade near midnight in the Jurf al-Nasr sector of Babil province in central Iraq, while a separate strike simultaneously targeted the 31st Brigade in the Karma sector of Anbar province to the west.

“These attacks did not result in any significant human losses,” the statement said.

The PMF is a state-recognized Iraqi security and military umbrella established in 2014 following a religious decree by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, originally mobilized to combat the ISIS (Daesh) terrorist organization. The group was formally folded into Iraq’s official armed forces in 2016.

Tuesday’s strikes are the latest in a string of attacks on PMF installations that have left dozens of fighters killed or wounded in recent days, unfolding against the backdrop of the wider US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, ongoing since February 28.

Washington has long accused certain PMF factions of maintaining operational ties to Tehran, allegations that have gained renewed weight as Iraqi factions operating under the banner of the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” have claimed responsibility for repeated strikes on US military installations across the region.

The broader conflict with Iran has claimed hundreds of lives, including former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and senior military commanders. Tehran has retaliated with sustained missile and drone barrages aimed at Israel and Gulf states hosting US forces, resulting in casualties and widespread damage to civilian infrastructure.

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