At least 20 members of Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), including several Iranian advisers, were killed on Wednesday after the United States and Saudi Arabia carried out coordinated airstrikes on Iran-backed militia positions in Iraq.
The strikes, which targeted locations in Diyala Province, came in response to recent drone attacks on US military bases and Saudi oil facilities, according to Washington and Riyadh.
The PMF, also known as Hashed al-Shaabi, confirmed the casualties, saying at least 20 of its fighters were killed while 32 others sustained injuries.
Two senior PMF officials told AFP that five Iranian military advisers were among those killed during the operation.
Funeral processions held in Baghdad showed coffins draped in Iranian flags as mourners paid tribute to those killed in the strikes.
The PMF was established in 2014 to help Iraqi forces defeat the Islamic State group before being formally integrated into the country’s security structure. However, several of its factions maintain close ties with Iran and have often acted independently of the Iraqi government.
US President Donald Trump said the military operation was coordinated with the Iraqi government, according to Fox News.
The latest strikes come amid growing pressure from Washington on Baghdad to disarm Iran-backed armed groups accused of repeatedly targeting US military installations and threatening regional security.
Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who assumed office earlier this year with US backing, has pledged to bring all armed groups under state control. However, his administration has faced resistance from influential militia factions.
Earlier this month, Zaidi visited both the United States and Iran in an effort to ease tensions.
Saudi Arabia said the military action followed the interception of drones allegedly launched towards its oil facilities, blaming Iran-backed militias operating in Iraq for the attacks.
Among the most active groups is the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella coalition of pro-Iran factions that has claimed responsibility for hundreds of attacks on US military bases in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East since the regional conflict escalated.
Following Wednesday’s strikes, the group warned that retaliation against the United States was “inevitable” and suggested Saudi Arabia could also become a target because of its role in the operation.
However, it said any response would be delayed until after the Arbaeen pilgrimage, one of the most important religious events in the Shia Muslim calendar, which concludes next Tuesday.
The group also denied carrying out recent attacks on Saudi territory and said it has not claimed any operation since hostilities between the United States and Iran intensified earlier this month.
The Iraqi government condemned the airstrikes, describing them as a violation of the country’s sovereignty.
In a statement, Iraq’s Ministerial Council for National Security said Baghdad rejected “all acts of aggression, regardless of the party responsible or the justification presented.”
The council also pledged to prevent Iraqi territory from being used to threaten neighbouring countries while reaffirming the government’s commitment to ensuring that only the state controls weapons.
The Iraqi government has given armed groups designated as terrorist organisations by Washington until September 30 to surrender their weapons.
Despite years of progress after defeating the Islamic State insurgency, Iraq continues to face growing security challenges as tensions between the United States and Iran increasingly play out on its soil.
