US-Saudi Strikes Kill 20 Militants In Iraq, PMF Says

At least 20 militants, including several Iranian advisers, were killed on Wednesday after the United States and Saudi Arabia carried out airstrikes targeting Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq, according to the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), also known as the Hashed al-Shaabi.

The US and Saudi Arabia said the strikes were launched in response to attacks on American forces and Saudi oil facilities allegedly carried out by Iran-backed militants.

The PMF, an armed alliance that includes several pro-Iran factions, said at least 20 of its fighters were killed while 32 others sustained injuries.

“At least 20 fighters were martyred and another 32 wounded according to a preliminary toll,” the group said.

Two PMF officials told AFP that five Iranian advisers were among those killed in a strike in Diyala Province.

AFP correspondents reported seeing coffins draped in Iranian flags during a funeral organised by the PMF in Baghdad for those killed in the strikes.

The Hashed al-Shaabi was established in 2014 to fight Islamic State militants before being formally integrated into Iraq’s armed forces. It now includes several Iran-backed brigades that have often operated independently.

US President Donald Trump said the strikes were coordinated with the Iraqi government, according to Fox News.

The operation comes amid increasing US pressure on Baghdad to disarm pro-Iran armed groups, which have repeatedly targeted US military facilities in Iraq and demanded the withdrawal of American troops.

Iraq’s Prime Minister, Ali al-Zaidi, who assumed office earlier this year, has pledged to bring all armed groups under state control but has faced resistance from some powerful factions.

Earlier this month, Zaidi visited both the United States and Iran as part of efforts to ease regional tensions.

The strikes also followed Saudi Arabia’s announcement that it intercepted drones targeting its oil facilities, blaming Iran-backed groups operating in Iraq.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of pro-Iran factions, denied responsibility for the alleged attacks on Saudi Arabia but warned that retaliation against the United States was inevitable.

“Our response to the American enemy is inevitable, and may target its tools in Saudi Arabia,” the group said, adding that any response would come after the Arbaeen pilgrimage, one of the most significant events in the Shia Muslim calendar.

The group also noted that it had not claimed responsibility for any attacks since hostilities between the United States and Iran escalated earlier this month.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi government condemned the US-Saudi strikes, describing them as a violation of the country’s sovereignty.

In a statement, Iraq’s Ministerial Council for National Security said it rejected “all acts of aggression, regardless of the party responsible or the justifications presented.”

The council pledged to prevent Iraqi territory from being used to threaten neighbouring countries and reaffirmed 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 disarm.

Iraq, one of the region’s largest oil producers, has sought to maintain a delicate balance between its ties with the United States and neighbouring Iran, even as their rivalry continues to play out on Iraqi soil.