Khaberni - An Iraqi security source told Al Jazeera that an airstrike targeted the headquarters of the 40th Brigade in the Popular Mobilization Forces northwest of Kirkuk, resulting in casualties including dead and wounded.
The source added that the two airstrikes resulted in the death of 5 fighters and injured more than 18 others.
In a separate development, Reuters - citing military sources - reported that other airstrikes targeted a Popular Mobilization Forces site in the town of Al-Qaim, west of Iraq, injuring 4 fighters.
Since the start of the American-Israeli war on Iran on February 28, headquarters of the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq have been subject to missile attacks attributed to the American and Israeli armies, leading to the death of a member and the injury of 3 others in an airstrike targeting Popular Mobilization Forces headquarters in Nineveh province in northern Iraq yesterday.
Also, 6 members of the Popular Mobilization Forces were killed last week in an airstrike targeting a headquarters in Diyala province in central Iraq, and another on a site in Al-Qaim, west of the country.
Targeting several bases with drones
In response, an Iraqi armed faction announced that it targeted the American base at Erbil airport with a "drone that hit its target," while security sources reported that the Iraqi air defenses intercepted a drone and shot it down near Baghdad International Airport.
A security source for Al Jazeera confirmed a similar attack on the American logistic support camp around Baghdad Airport.
Iraqi security sources informed Reuters that a drone attacked an opposition Iranian group northeast of Erbil.
In a related context, the "Islamic Resistance in Iraq" announced the execution of 37 operations within 24 hours, using dozens of drones and missiles against American bases in Iraq and the region, according to a statement from the group.
Politically, an Iraqi government statement stated that Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani assured - during a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio - Iraq's commitment to protect missions, embassies, and consulates on its territory, adding that this task is "at the core of the duties of the armed forces."
Al-Sudani emphasized Baghdad's rejection of the use of its airspace, land, or waters in any military action targeting neighboring countries or the region, confirming that Iraq refuses to engage in military actions or be drawn into ongoing conflicts.
