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A military commander from the Hashd al-Shaabi, a former paramilitary faction, was reported killed on Thursday, in a US strike in Baghdad. Additionally, an Iraqi security official stated that two deaths occurred in a drone attack.
A US strike in Baghdad on Thursday killed a military commander of the Hashd al-Shaabi, an ex-paramilitary faction of the grouping said, with an Iraqi security official reporting two deaths in a drone attack.
The Iraqi government, supported by pro-Tehran factions, decried an "aggression". It accused a US-led international coalition but stopped short of pinning the blame on Washington, as regional tensions soar amid the Israel-Hamas war.
"A drone targeted the logistical support headquarters of Hashd al-Shaabi," mainly pro-Iranian former paramilitary units integrated into the Iraqi armed forces, said the security official.
The strike killed "two members and wounded seven others", said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
A Hashd source, also asking not to be named, confirmed the death toll and charged that the United States was behind the attack.
Harakat al-Nujaba, one of the Hashd's factions, said in a statement that "the deputy commander of operations for Baghdad, Mushtaq Talib al-Saidi", had been "martyred in a US strike".
It came amid heightened regional tensions since war broke out between US ally Israel and Iran-backed Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, triggered by the Palestinian group's deadly October 7 attack.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's office accused the US-led anti-jihadist coalition of the strike, labelling it "a blatant aggression" as well as "a dangerous escalation and assault".
"The Iraqi armed forces hold the global coalition forces responsible for this unwarranted attack," a spokesperson for Sudani said in a statement.
Hadi al-Ameri, a senior commander of the Hashd al-Shaabi, condemned what he described as a "heinous crime committed by the criminal American forces", demanding the "immediate departure" of the international coalition.
Many have been claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a loose alliance of Iran-linked armed groups that oppose US support for Israel in the Gaza war.
The US military has responded to recent attacks by launching air strikes targeting sites used by Iran and its proxy forces in Iraq and Syria, including Hashd sites.
Khalil Wakim, with AFP
A US strike in Baghdad on Thursday killed a military commander of the Hashd al-Shaabi, an ex-paramilitary faction of the grouping said, with an Iraqi security official reporting two deaths in a drone attack.
The Iraqi government, supported by pro-Tehran factions, decried an "aggression". It accused a US-led international coalition but stopped short of pinning the blame on Washington, as regional tensions soar amid the Israel-Hamas war.
"A drone targeted the logistical support headquarters of Hashd al-Shaabi," mainly pro-Iranian former paramilitary units integrated into the Iraqi armed forces, said the security official.
The strike killed "two members and wounded seven others", said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
A Hashd source, also asking not to be named, confirmed the death toll and charged that the United States was behind the attack.
Harakat al-Nujaba, one of the Hashd's factions, said in a statement that "the deputy commander of operations for Baghdad, Mushtaq Talib al-Saidi", had been "martyred in a US strike".
It came amid heightened regional tensions since war broke out between US ally Israel and Iran-backed Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, triggered by the Palestinian group's deadly October 7 attack.
'Blatant Aggression'
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's office accused the US-led anti-jihadist coalition of the strike, labelling it "a blatant aggression" as well as "a dangerous escalation and assault".
"The Iraqi armed forces hold the global coalition forces responsible for this unwarranted attack," a spokesperson for Sudani said in a statement.
Hadi al-Ameri, a senior commander of the Hashd al-Shaabi, condemned what he described as a "heinous crime committed by the criminal American forces", demanding the "immediate departure" of the international coalition.
Many have been claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a loose alliance of Iran-linked armed groups that oppose US support for Israel in the Gaza war.
The US military has responded to recent attacks by launching air strikes targeting sites used by Iran and its proxy forces in Iraq and Syria, including Hashd sites.
Khalil Wakim, with AFP
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