PMF says U.S. airstrikes killed eight, wounded four fighters, vows to retaliate
Shafaq News/ Iraq's al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces-PMF) condemned US airstrikes that killed eight of its fighters and wounded four in the early hours of Wednesday.
The airstrikes, according to the statement, "targeted headquarters of the PMF", an umbrella of paramilitary groups that fought alongside other Iraqi security forces and the U.S. against the extremist Islamic State (ISIS) organization.
Wednesday's airstrikes came in response to daily attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria. This is the fourth round of airstrikes carried out by Washington in response to the surge in resistance attacks against its troops.
The PMF, which is state-sanctioned despite accusations of having its own agenda, said the airstrikes were a "flagrant violation of Iraqi sovereignty" and vowed to retaliate.
Earlier today, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said it carried airstrikes against what it claimed to be "Iran-linked" facilities south of the capital, Baghdad.
A U.S. official told ABC News that the "strikes were conducted against a Kata'ib Hezbollah operations center and a Kataib Hezbollah Command and Control node."
The U.S. attack, which targeted the town of Jurf al-Sakhar, killed eight people. Earlier today, Kata'ib Hezbollah announced that five of its members were among those killed.
In response to the attack, the Iraqi government released a statement calling it an "unacceptable violation of sovereignty" and noting that the bombing took place without the knowledge of any government agency.
Iraqi factions announced on November 21 that they had targeted the Ain al-Assad base in Iraq twice, as well as al-Shaddadi base in Hasakah, northeastern Syria. The bases were struck "with appropriate weapons," which "directly hit" all their targets.
The Ain al-Assad base was hit with close-range ballistic missiles, resulting in eight injuries and material damage, according to two US officials.
U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria have come under almost daily fire by the Islamic Resistance of Iraq, a coalition of Iraqi Shiite factions that banded together last month to confront U.S. forces in rejection of Washington’s support for Israel.
The attacks are launched "in response to the crimes committed by the enemy against our people in Gaza."
"US forces have been attacked approximately 66 times since October 17. Thirty-two separate times in Iraq, and 34 separate times in Syria," the Pentagon announced on Tuesday evening. At least 60 US soldiers have suffered traumatic brain injuries and other injuries.
