Baghdad airstrike kills Iran-backed militia leader as regional tensions escalate

An airstrike on the logistical support headquarters of an Iran-backed militia in central Baghdad has killed a high-ranking militia commander, militia officials said.

Thursday’s strike comes amid mounting regional tensions fuelled by the Israel-Hamas war and fears it could spill over into surrounding countries.

The Popular Mobilisation Force (PMF) – a coalition of militias nominally under the control of the Iraqi military – said its deputy head of operations in Baghdad, Mushtaq Taleb al-Saidi – or Abu Taqwa – was killed “as a result of brutal American aggression”.

An anonymous US official confirmed the country’s forces conducted a strike on a vehicle in Baghdad on Monday against the group Harakat al-Nujaba.

The group, one of the militias within the PMF, was designated a terrorist organisation by Washington in 2019.

Iraqi military spokesman Yehia Rasool said the Iraqi army blames the US-led International Coalition Forces for the “unprovoked attack on an Iraqi security body operating in accordance with the powers granted to it by” the Iraqi military.

The PMF, a group of Iranian-backed, primarily Shiite militias, were also key in the fight against the Sunni extremist group after it overran much of Iraq in 2014.

The PMF is officially under the command of the Iraqi army but in practice the militias operate independently.

Thursday’s strike killed two people and wounded five, according to two militia officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly.

One of the officials said Mr al-Saidi was driving into the garage of the headquarters affiliated with the al-Nujaba militia, one of the members of the PMF, along with another militia official when the car was hit, killing both.

Heavy security was deployed around the location of the strike on Baghdad’s Palestine Street and Iraqi war planes could be seen flying overhead.

An Associated Press photographer was eventually allowed access to the scene of the strike, where he saw the remains of the charred car.

The group said the attacks are in retaliation for Washington’s support of Israel in the war against Hamas which has killed more than 20,000 people in Gaza, and that they aim to push US forces out of Iraq.

Thursday’s strike is likely to increase calls for a US departure.

Last week, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani – who came to power with the backing of Iran-linked political factions but has also attempted to maintain good relations with the US – said his government is “proceeding to end the presence of the international coalition forces”.

The strike also comes two days after a suspected Israeli drone strike in the suburbs of Beirut killed Hamas deputy leader Saleh Arouri.

Asked if Israel had involvement in Thursday’s strike in Baghdad, an Israeli military spokesperson declined to comment.