America carried out an air attack on this militia headquarters in Baghdad.
America has given a big blow to Iran and Iraq amid the Israel-Hamas war. America has killed an Iran-backed militia leader in an airstrike in Baghdad. The US on Thursday carried out an airstrike on the headquarters of an Iran-backed militia in central Baghdad. A high-ranking militia commander was killed in this. Militia officials gave this information. The attack took place on Thursday amid growing regional tension due to the Israel-Hamas war and fears of its impact on surrounding countries. The attack comes as Iraqi officials pressure US-led coalition forces to leave the country.
The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) are a coalition of militias under nominal control of the Iraqi Army. The PMF announced in a statement that its deputy chief of operations in Baghdad, Abu Taqwa, had been killed “in a US strike”. A US defense official confirmed the attack on Thursday on condition of anonymity, saying Abu Taqwa was targeted because he was actively involved in attacks on US personnel. Abu Taqwa was identified as the leader of the Harakat al-Nujaba group. That group was one of the militias within the PMF. PMF was designated a terrorist organization by the US in 2019.
Iraq reacted after the attack
Iraqi military spokesman Yehia Rasool said in a statement that the Iraqi military blames US-led international coalition forces for “an unprovoked attack on an Iraqi security organization acting in accordance with the powers granted to it by the Iraqi military.” The primary mission of the US-led coalition is to fight the Sunni extremist militant group Islamic State, which continues to launch periodic attacks in Iraq despite losing control of territory it controlled in 2017. The Iran-backed PMF is a group of predominantly Shia militias. It also played a key role in the fight against Islamic State after it captured much of Iraq in 2014. The PMF is officially under the command of the Iraqi Army but in practice it operates as an independent militia. Two militia officers, speaking on condition of anonymity, said two people were killed and five were injured in Thursday’s attack. (AP)
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