Airstrikes Hit PMF Positions in Anbar and Kirkuk, Causing Dozens of Casualties

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Airstrikes early Thursday targeted positions belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in western and northern Iraq, killing and wounding dozens of fighters, according to reports from Kurdistan24 correspondents.

A Kurdistan24 correspondent reported that the most significant strike hit a PMF base in the Akashat area of Anbar Province during the early hours of Thursday. Preliminary figures indicated that at least 30 PMF fighters were killed and dozens more were wounded in the attack, with several of the injured reported to be in critical condition.

The airstrike occurred during the pre-dawn meal observed during the Islamic fasting period, when warplanes struck the headquarters of the PMF’s 19th Brigade in the Akashat area, according to the correspondent’s report.

The targeted formation, the PMF’s 19th Brigade, is also known as the group “Ansar Allah al-Awfiya,” a unit operating within the PMF Commission. The brigade is primarily deployed along the border region between Iraq and Syria, particularly in the Al-Qaim District of Anbar Province.

Officials and reports have previously identified the unit as one of several armed groups within the PMF structure considered close to Iran. According to available information cited in the report, the group was placed on the U.S. terrorism list in 2024.

Although the brigade operates under the command of the PMF Commission and forms part of Iraq’s official security framework, its positions have been targeted repeatedly in airstrikes linked to tensions involving armed groups and international forces in the region.

Separately, another airstrike early Thursday targeted a PMF Special Forces battalion in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, according to Kurdistan24 correspondent Soran Kamaran.

The attack struck the battalion’s headquarters located at the PMF Secretariat compound behind Imam Jafar al-Sadiq University in Kirkuk, the correspondent reported.

According to the information provided by the Kurdistan24 correspondent, four PMF members were killed in the Kirkuk strike and six others were wounded.

No immediate official casualty figures were released by the PMF Commission at the time of the initial reporting. The figures cited by the correspondents were described as preliminary.

The reported strikes occurred amid heightened regional tensions involving Iran, Israel, and the United States, following a series of military exchanges that have affected several countries in the Middle East.

According to the report, the strikes against PMF positions are linked to a broader pattern of attacks involving armed groups affiliated with the organization. These groups have carried out drone and missile attacks targeting U.S. military bases and facilities in Iraq and other parts of the region, officials said.

U.S. strikes targeting PMF units and armed groups affiliated with them have been carried out in response to those attacks on American military positions, according to the report.

American forces maintain several military installations in Iraq as part of security cooperation arrangements and broader regional operations.

The developments follow a significant escalation that began on Feb. 28, 2026, when the United States and Israel launched coordinated airstrikes against targets in Iran.

According to reports cited in the background material, those strikes resulted in the deaths of several Iranian leaders.

Iran subsequently carried out retaliatory actions in response to the attacks. In addition to launching missiles toward Israel, Iranian forces also targeted several U.S. military bases and facilities across the region.

Those retaliatory operations were reported to involve missile strikes and other forms of attack directed at American installations in multiple countries.

The airstrikes reported Thursday in Anbar and Kirkuk occurred within that broader context of ongoing hostilities and military exchanges involving Iran, Israel, the United States, and armed groups operating across the region.

The Akashat area of Anbar Province, where the largest reported strike occurred, lies near Iraq’s western border with Syria and has long been a strategic location due to its proximity to cross-border routes used by various armed groups operating in the region.

The PMF’s presence in the area has been tied to its role in securing border zones and monitoring militant activity along the frontier between Iraq and Syria.

Meanwhile, the strike reported in Kirkuk targeted a location within the urban area of the city, where PMF administrative and operational facilities are located.

The PMF Secretariat compound near Imam Jafar al-Sadiq University serves as a local headquarters for PMF units operating in the Kirkuk area, according to the report.

The strikes resulted in casualties among PMF members in both locations, though the full extent of the damage and the final casualty toll remained unclear at the time of reporting.

No official statements from U.S. military authorities or other international coalition representatives were immediately reported regarding the strikes.

The attacks on PMF positions occurred amid continuing drone and missile incidents involving armed groups targeting U.S. facilities in Iraq and elsewhere in the region, according to the report.