Top Iraqi Military Official: Attack on PMF Checkpoint a Clear Violation of Iraq’s Sovereignty
Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, said in a statement on Monday that the casualties resulted from a “cowardly” attack on a PMF checkpoint and several adjacent barracks in the al-Qa'im District in Anbar Province.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Eight fighters from the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) were killed and seven others wounded in an attack targeting a checkpoint and nearby barracks in western Iraq, according to the office of the country’s military commander-in-chief.
Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, said in a statement on Monday that the casualties resulted from a “cowardly” attack on a PMF checkpoint and several adjacent barracks in the al-Qa'im District in Anbar Province.
Al-Numan condemned the strike, stressing that targeting an official military force operating under the authority of the commander-in-chief constitutes a clear violation of Iraq’s sovereignty. He added that such attacks represent a continuation of assaults against national forces, which he described as a key barrier against terrorism and destabilizing projects.
The attack comes amid heightened tensions following the killing of a senior commander from Kataeb Hezbollah earlier this week.
On Monday, the armed group announced the death of its senior security commander Abu Ali al-Askari. In a statement, the group’s leader Ahmad al-Hamidawi, also known as Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi, said: “We announce the martyrdom of Haj Abu Ali al-Askari,” without providing details about how or when he was killed.
A security official told AFP that Askari was in fact Abu Ali al-Amiri, who was reportedly killed in a strike in Baghdad on Saturday.
Kataeb Hezbollah described Askari as the group’s security chief and spokesperson responsible for issuing official statements on behalf of the organization. His most recent statement was released on March 7 following the reported killing of Ali Khamenei.
The group said that Abou Moujahed al-Assaf will succeed Askari as its new security chief.
Since the escalation of the current regional conflict, several attacks targeting members of armed groups across Iraq have been attributed to the United States and Israel.