Airstrikes, likely conducted by the US as part of the US-Israeli operation against the Islamic Republic, have continued targeting Iran-backed Iraqi militias. On March 12, the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an official Iraqi security institution largely comprised of Iran-allied militias, told the Iraqi News Agency that US forces have conducted 32 airstrikes against PMF headquarters in the governorates of Anbar, Babylon, Diyala, Kirkuk, Nineveh, Salah al Din, and Wasit since February 28. The United States has not commented on any offensive military operations in Iraq.
The PMF statement said that the targeted “headquarters had no role in targeting American bases inside or outside Iraq.” However, the airstrikes have killed members of Kataib Hezbollah, Asaib Ahl al Haq, Kataib Imam Ali, and other militias that are members of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), an umbrella under which Iran-backed militias claim attacks. The IRI has claimed over 290 attacks on US forces in the region since Operation Epic Fury began on February 28. On March 13, the IRI announced a reward of 150 million dinars, a little over $100,000, for information on the whereabouts of American forces in Iraq.
On March 13, security sources told Shafaq News that an airstrike targeted an Asaib Ahl al Haq headquarters in Salah al Din and a Kataib Hezbollah headquarters in Fallujah. It is unclear if these airstrikes resulted in casualties.
An attack on March 12 targeted a PMF headquarters in the Qaim border district of Anbar province on the Iraq-Syria border. Reportedly, the targeting included three sites that belong to the 19th Brigade of the PMF, which is affiliated with the Ansar Allah al Awfiya militia, a component of the IRI. The targets included a headquarters location, a medical unit, and a logistics facility. The strikes reportedly resulted in 99 individuals killed, 43 missing, and 123 wounded.
Additional strikes on March 12 hit Camp Saqr, a military facility south of Baghdad that hosts PMF fighters, killing one PMF member and injuring three. A security source told Shafaq that another airstrike targeted a Kataib Hezbollah headquarters in Jurf al Nasr in Babil province without causing casualties. This area was targeted repeatedly in early March. Airstrikes also targeted a PMF base in Kirkuk, with fatalities reported to be between one and four PMF fighters.
A funeral held on March 12 for some of the slain PMF members included flags of Iran-backed militias, the PMF, and pictures of deceased Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his son, newly selected Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
Bridget Toomey is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies focusing on Iranian proxies, specifically Iraqi militias and the Houthis.
Tags: Asaib Ahl al Haq, Iraq, Iraqi militias, Islamic Resistance in Iraq, Kataib Hezbollah, Kataib Imam Ali, Operation Epic Fury, PMF
