Dozens killed in strikes on Iran-allied PMF militia in Iraq

Airstrikes on Iraq’s Iran-backed Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) militia coalition have left dozens dead or wounded, officials say.

 

As chaos spread, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani urged the nation to remain calm.

The leader of the Iran-allied Badr Organisation, Hadi al-Amiri, revealed on Wednesday that recent airstrikes on Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces have killed more than 60 fighters and wounded over 100, marking a dramatic and deadly escalation.

On Thursday, the PMF reported that one fighter was killed and two others wounded in a strike on Brigade 30 in the Nineveh Plains. The group described the attack as a "US-Israeli" strike. US and Israeli officials have not publicly commented on or claimed responsibility for the incident.

The PMF reported that further air raids struck a unit in Tarmiya, north of Baghdad, and a command headquarters in Nineveh, causing material damage but not casualties.

By nightfall on Thursday, new waves of airstrikes battered PMF headquarters in Salahaddin, Anbar, and the outskirts of Baghdad, according to security sources.

Meanwhile, Iranian missiles targeted the headquarters of Komala in Sulaymaniyah. Komala, an Iranian Kurdish opposition group active in the  Iraqi Kurdistan region for decades, reported no immediate damage or casualties.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani condemned attacks on the PMF, which officially are a state-sanctioned force, and stated the government would not tolerate such actions.

During a visit to PMF headquarters, Sudani praised the force’s role in defending Iraq and stressed the need to preserve stability, instructing security agencies to continue defending vital infrastructure and diplomatic missions.

He also warned against involving Iraq in the wider regional conflict, noting that tensions related to the war involving Iran continue to affect Iraqi territory.

Formed in 2014 after a religious edict by Grand Ayatollah Ali, the PMF is a coalition of mostly Iran-backed Shia militias.

 

It was officially integrated into Iraq’s security apparatus in 2016. The US called for dismantling the PMF after several pro-Iran factions within the PMF  launched hundreds of drone and missile assaults on US and Israeli targets following Israel’s war in Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen.

Amid the escalating violence, the Iran-aligned Kata'ib Hezbollah announced on Thursday it would halt attacks on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad for five days. The group said the pause comes in response to mounting casualties among militia members and increasing pressure from both Iraqi authorities and regional backers to avoid broader conflict.

The group stated the truce is conditional on a halt to airstrikes in Baghdad and other areas, warning that unmet demands would result in renewed and possibly escalated attacks.

The announcement follows the killing of a senior group member earlier this week and comes as Iran-aligned militias continue to threaten US military assets across Iraq.