Iran-backed Shiite militias belonging to the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) continue to claim responsibility for attacks on American bases in the region in response to US and Israeli military operations against Iran.
On March 1, Saraya Awliya al Dam (SAD), a member of the IRI, issued a statement claiming that the group’s fighters attacked American bases in Erbil with drones and missiles. Media reports from that day confirmed that explosions were heard at Erbil International Airport, which hosts US troops in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region.
On March 2, SAD said that it targeted Camp Victoria, located near Baghdad International Airport, with what it described as a “squadron of drones.” Arabic-language media reported explosions near the base that day, saying that air defenses were activated against two drones.
The next day, SAD released a statement claiming that it launched drones at a hotel in Erbil that allegedly housed US soldiers. However, this claim is unconfirmed. Following both attacks, SAD published footage showing its fighters firing drones and missiles.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) — an umbrella network of Iranian-backed militias and affiliated front groups — also announced on March 1 that it had “carried out 21 operations using dozens of drones against enemy bases in Iraq and across the region.”
A day later, the IRI claimed responsibility for 28 additional operations employing “dozens of missiles and drones” against bases in Iraq and elsewhere in the region. On March 3, the group asserted it had conducted 27 more missile and drone attacks targeting sites in Iraq and beyond.
The IRI’s statements did not specify the nature of the targets, but the group released footage purporting to show its fighters launching missiles and drones.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that six US service members have been killed since the start of major combat operations against Iran, while 18 soldiers have been wounded. An Iranian missile reportedly struck a base in Kuwait where the six servicemen were operating, while details about the 18 wounded soldiers have not been released.
Iraqi militias, particularly Iran-aligned Shiite armed groups, emerged in the aftermath of the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, capitalizing on the power vacuum and sectarian conflict to challenge US forces and assert influence within Iraq’s security landscape. Over time, many of these militias were organized into the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), which has since become an official security institution that ostensibly reports to the government, to fight the Islamic State.
Despite the PMF’s formal incorporation, powerful groups such as Kataib Hezbollah, Asaib Ahl al Haq, and others, many of which are US-designated terrorist groups, have continued to operate with significant autonomy and Iranian support. They periodically conduct independent operations against US and coalition targets while also shaping Iraqi domestic politics and resisting full state control.
Joe Truzman is an editor and senior research analyst at FDD's Long War Journal focused primarily on Palestinian armed groups and non-state actors in the Middle East.
Tags: A Saraya Awliya al Dam, centcom, Iran, Iraq, Islamic Resistance in Iraq, Operation Epic Fury, PMF, Shiite militias, US-Iran
