Iraq’s government called for an emergency meeting Wednesday after U.S.-Saudi strikes killed at least 20 members of a former pro-Iran paramilitary alliance.
The United States and Saudi Arabia said they had struck Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq in response to attacks on U.S. forces and Saudi oil facilities.
Washington and Tehran are Iraq's main allies but their enmity has long turned the country into a proxy battleground and left successive governments struggling to maintain a delicate balance between the foes.
The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an alliance of former paramilitary groups and factions now integrated into the Iraqi armed forces, said at least 20 fighters "were martyred and another 32 wounded according to a preliminary toll."
It added that the U.S.-Saudi "aggression" targeted PMF bases in seven provinces, including Baghdad, Nineveh in northern Iraq and Basra in the country's south, causing material damage as well.
