Reported US attack on Iraqi Shiite militia kills 14 in country’s West

Regional commander among dead as airstrike targets headquarters

ANBAR: A reported U.S. airstrike against Iraq’s Hashd al-Shaabi militia in the western province of Anbar Tuesday killed at least 14 members of the pro-Iranian group.

The regional commander was among the dead. Al-Shaabi, also known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, said the strikes targeted their headquarters while fighters were “performing their national duty.”

It confirmed in a statement the death of its Anbar commander, Saad al-Baiji, and several of his companions.

It accused the United States of carrying out the attack. Civil defense teams were still searching the debris.

Fifteen others were reportedly injured, the group added. The information could not initially be independently verified.

Neither the Iraqi government in Baghdad nor the United States has commented on the incident.

The paramilitary group played a key role in the fight against the Daesh terrorist group between 2014 and 2017.

It continues to operate alongside Iraqi security forces. Tehran-backed armed groups have launched attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran in February.

The attacks have raised fears of a wider regional escalation.

Six Iraqi Kurdish fighters were killed in a rocket and drone attack on a base north of Irbil in Northern Iraq, a ministry source said.

More than 20 others were injured. The source said there were two attacks. The first caused no damage, and the second struck an hour later.

There has been no official statement by the Kurdistan Regional Government. Irbil is home to a multinational base where soldiers from the United States and Germany are stationed.

Authorities in the autonomous region have previously pledged neutrality in the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

Both Iran and pro-Iranian militias in Iraq have claimed responsibility for attacks on the Kurdish-dominated region.

Iranian forces have also struck Iranian Kurdish groups in neighboring Iraq. Monitoring Desk