Airstrikes killed at least 30 fighters from Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in the Akashat area of Anbar Province early Thursday, marking one of the deadliest single attacks on the Iran-aligned paramilitary group since the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran began on February 28.
Iraqi security sources said the strikes targeted three sites belonging to the PMF’s 19th Brigade in the Al-Qaim district near the Syrian border. The brigade operates under Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya, a militia the U.S. designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in September 2025.
ندين باشد العبارات الاعتداء الارهابي الجبان الذي طال الحشد الشعبي في القائم والذي ادى الى استشهاد وجرح العشرات من ابناء قواتنا الأمنية البطلة ونؤكد ان الاستهداف يشكل اعتداء صارخ وانتهاك للسيادة ونتقدم الى هيئة الحشد ولذوي الضحايا بخالص العزاء والمواساة والشفاء العاجل للجرحى…
— قاسم الاعرجي (@qassimalaraji) March 12, 2026
Security officials said the attack appeared to follow a double-tap pattern, a tactic in which a second strike targets first responders. Aircraft struck rescue workers attempting to evacuate wounded fighters from the initial bombardment, one official said.
A separate strike in Kirkuk Province killed four PMF fighters and wounded six others at a headquarters near Imam Jafar al-Sadiq University, local officials confirmed.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani 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 and disrupt social peace,” al-Sudani said.
The PMF denied that the targeted installations played any role in recent attacks on U.S. assets. “All fighters killed were carrying out their official duties, and some were stationed near the borders,” the group said in a statement, adding that the strikes constitute “a blatant violation of Iraqi sovereignty.”
PMF bases across seven Iraqi provinces have been struck repeatedly since the war began, with the group reporting 32 separate attacks on its positions.
