Overnight strikes hit the headquarters of the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) in the northern Iraqi province of Kirkuk and near the Syrian border in Al Qaim, leaving nine fighters dead and 10 wounded, the group said in a statement.
Iraq has been caught in the crossfire of the US-Israel war against Iran, which has expanded and risks further destabilisation in the region.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani, who is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, condemned the “blatant attacks” against PMF units.
“This systematic and repeated aggression, targeting sites and headquarters without discrimination, is not just a military breach, but a desperate attempt to confuse matters, disrupt social peace, and undermines the security gains achieved with the blood of Iraqis,” Mr Al Sudani said in a statement.
Tehran-aligned militias joined the conflict immediately after the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, firing missiles and drones at bases hosting American troops and diplomatic missions across Iraq.
Attacks have been launched on Harir Air Base and the US consulate in Erbil in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, the US embassy in Baghdad and Camp Victory at the capital's international airport. Iraqi airspace is being used by all warring parties, as US strikes are conducted on militia positions.
The latest strikes brought the total number of PMF fighters killed since the outbreak of the conflict to 27, the PMF statement said. Fifty others were wounded.
A total of 32 strikes hit PMF headquarters in the provinces of Diyala, Kirkuk, Anbar, Nineveh, Salahuddin, Wasit and Babylon, it added.
"These headquarters had no role in targeting American bases inside or outside Iraq," it said, in a bid to distance itself from the attacks launched by pro-Tehran factions.
The PMF expressed its "categorical rejection and strong condemnation of the heinous air strikes targeting its official headquarters carried out by US aircraft", adding that the attacks "constitute a blatant violation of Iraqi sovereignty".
Earlier on Thursday, Iran-backed militias and officials said “dozens” of fighters had been killed and wounded in the overnight strikes. Videos on militias' social media accounts show a flattened building with a crater, which they say is in Kirkuk. Some of the videos show dead bodies covered with plastic bags.
The target in Kirkuk was the PMF’s Special Division, while the other in the Akashat area of Al Qaim was the headquarters of Brigade 19, which is linked to Harakat Ansar Allah Al Awfiya armed group.
The faction accused the US and Israel of launching the “brutal aggression”, mourning its fighters as “heroic knights”.
“Let the American occupier and the Zionist entity behind it know that the heroes who withstood the fiercest storms will not be broken by treacherous raids,” it said in a statement.
Iraq’s National Security Adviser Qassim Al Araji condemned the strike in Akashat as “cowardly and a terrorist attack with the strongest terms”, adding that “dozens” have been killed and wounded.
“We affirm that this targeting constitutes a blatant aggression and a violation of sovereignty,” Mr Al Araji said in a statement on X.
The PMF, known locally as Hashd Al Shaabi, is a state-sponsored umbrella organisation of mostly Shiite paramilitary groups, many of which have close ties to Iran.
While the PMF was formally incorporated into Iraq’s security apparatus in 2016 following its critical role in defeating ISIS, critics say several factions continue to operate independently of state control, with some accused of attacking diplomatic missions and US interests.
To the south, two oil tankers have been attacked in Iraqi waters, prompting the nation’s oil terminals to suspend operations, according to a government statements.
The tankers are Marshall Islands-flagged Safesea Vishnu and Malta-flagged Zefyros, according to Iraq’s State Organisation for Marketing of Oil, or SOMO.
Safesea Vishnu was chartered by a company that is contracted with SOMO, according to a statement. Zefyros carried condensate produced by Basrah Gas Co. It was scheduled to head to Khor Al Zubair Port in Iraq on March 12 to load an additional 30,000-tonne shipment of plastics feedstock naphtha, it added.
Military spokesman Lt Gen Saad Maan condemned the attack as a “cowardly act of sabotage”, adding that it “infringes on Iraqi sovereignty, and Iraq reserves the right to pursue the necessary legal measures”.
One crew member was killed, while 28 others were rescued, he added.
