Baghdad, Iraq — At least seven Iraqi soldiers were killed and 13 others wounded in an airstrike targeting a facility used by the Popular Mobilization Forces near a military medical center in western Anbar, Iraqi authorities said.
The Iraqi Ministry of Defense confirmed that an unidentified aircraft struck a clinic inside the Habbaniyah military base, describing the attack as a “dangerous escalation.” The base is controlled by the PMF, a state-linked force that includes several Iran-aligned armed factions.
Officials said the strike hit a military hospital affiliated with the defense ministry, killing seven personnel and injuring 13 others. Iraqi media reported the site was being used by PMF fighters, though the government maintains the group is an official part of the country’s armed forces.
The attack marks the second deadly strike in Anbar within 24 hours, following an earlier airstrike that killed at least 15 PMF fighters near the Syrian border. Recent strikes in the region have been widely attributed to the United States, though no official confirmation has been issued.
The Iraqi government, a key US ally, has condemned repeated attacks on its security forces while also criticizing rocket and drone strikes by Iran-backed groups targeting bases hosting American troops.
Following the earlier strike, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani convened an emergency meeting of the national security council, which pledged to respond to what it described as ongoing aerial attacks against Iraqi military positions.
The escalation underscores growing tensions in western Iraq, as clashes intensify between US-linked operations and Iran-aligned armed groups operating under the PMF umbrella.
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