BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 31. A strike on Tuesday in western Iraq killed two fighters from the former paramilitary coalition Hashed Al-Shaabi, the alliance said in a statement, blaming the US and Israel for the attack reported TurkicWorld reports via arabnews.
Iraq has been drawn into the broader Middle East war that started with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28.
Pro-Iran armed groups have claimed responsibility for attacks on US interests in Iraq and across the region, while strikes have also targeted the groups.
“This heinous attack resulted in the martyrdom of two fighters and the wounding of four others,” the statement said of the strike that targeted a checkpoint in Anbar province.
The alliance is also known as the Popular Mobilization Forces and is now part of Iraq’s regular armed forces although it also contains pro-Iran factions.
Earlier AFP journalists reported hearing an explosion and seeing smoke, after an attack was intercepted near the international airport of Irbil, the capital of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.
Irbil is home to a major US consulate complex, while its airport houses military advisers attached to a US-led anti-Daesh coalition.
Regular drone attacks by pro-Iran armed groups have usually been intercepted by air defenses.
Another AFP journalist said debris from the intercepted attack had fallen on cars and homes near the airport, causing some damage.
A base in northern Sulaymaniyah province hosting the Iraqi Kurdistan regional armed forces was also targeted overnight by a missile and rocket attack, the regional force said, adding there were no casualties.
In southern Iraq, security officials said a drone had fallen in an oil field but there had been no explosions or injuries reported.
Many oil operations in Iraq have been paused since the outbreak of the war.
