Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) said Wednesday that at least 20 of its members were killed and 32 others wounded in overnight US-Saudi airstrikes targeting the group’s headquarters in several provinces across the country, Anadolu reports.
In a statement carried by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), the PMF said the strikes hit its facilities in the provinces of Baghdad, Wasit, Nineveh, Basra, Kirkuk, Karbala and Diyala, causing extensive damage to its headquarters, military vehicles and equipment.
It said specialized committees are continuing field assessments to determine the full extent of the damage.
The statement came after the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said US and Saudi forces carried out joint precision strikes against Iranian-aligned group targets in Iraq, saying the operation targeted sites linked to attacks on US forces and Saudi energy infrastructure.
Saudi Arabia, for its part, said the strikes were conducted in self-defense following attacks launched from Iraqi territory against the kingdom’s petroleum facilities, citing Article 51 of the UN Charter. It also warned that it would take further military action if Iran-backed groups carried out additional attacks against the kingdom.
