Airstrike Leaves Four PMF Members Dead in Iraq

(MENAFN) An airstrike tore through Iraq's eastern Diyala province on Sunday, killing four fighters from the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and wounding two others, security and paramilitary sources said.

The PMF squarely blamed the attack on "Israeli-American bombardment," identifying its 41st Brigade near the town of Miqdadiyah — roughly 90 kilometers northeast of Baghdad — as the intended target.

A provincial security official, speaking to media on condition of anonymity, confirmed the casualty toll and said the strike hit a rural outpost operated by the paramilitary group.

By Sunday evening, the PMF had organised a funeral procession through Baghdad, drawing senior paramilitary leadership alongside ordinary citizens paying their respects to the fallen fighters.

The strike lands at one of the most volatile moments the region has seen in years. On Saturday, the United States and Israel launched a sweeping joint offensive against Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and triggering an immediate wave of retaliatory missile and drone attacks by Tehran directed at Israeli territory and American military assets spread across the Middle East.

Sunday's Diyala strike signals that Iraq — home to a sprawling network of Iran-aligned paramilitary factions — is increasingly being drawn into the widening conflict, raising fresh concerns over regional spillover with no immediate sign of de-escalation.

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