Shafaq News- Al-Anbar

Recent airstrikes targeting positions of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in Iraq’s western al-Anbar province left more than 120 casualties, a security source told Shafaq News on Thursday.

The strikes hit three sites belonging to the PMF’s 19th Brigade, known as Ansar Allah al-Awfiya, in the Akashat area of al-Qaim district near the Syrian border. The targeted locations included the brigade’s medical unit, the second regiment headquarters, and a logistical support facility.

According to the source, the bombardment killed 35 fighters and injured about 90 others, several of them critically.

“The aircraft that carried out the strikes continued flying over the area after the attack,” the source added, noting that additional strikes targeted ambulance teams attempting to reach the sites to evacuate the wounded. The reported strikes delayed rescue operations and the transfer of casualties to nearby hospitals.

In a statement, Ansar Allah al-Awfiya accused Israel and the United States of carrying out the attacks, describing them as an attempt to “open gaps for terrorist groups and return chaos to the region.”

In 2024, the United States designated the Iran-backed Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya —part of what is known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq— as a terrorist organization, accusing the group of attacking US troops stationed in Jordan and Syria and launching strikes toward Israel from areas south of Baghdad during the Gaza war.