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An air strike on a building linked to an Iran-backed militia in central Baghdad has killed a high-ranking commander, said Iraqi authorities who blamed the US-led international coalition against the Isis terrorist group for the attack.
The strike on Thursday comes as tensions escalate in the Middle East in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, raising the risk of a full-blown regional conflict, and as Iraqi officials and lawmakers renew a push to expel US-led coalition forces from the country.
The Popular Mobilisation Units, a network of Iran-backed Shia militia groups, some of which are nominally under the control of Iraq’s state security forces, announced the death of Mushtaq Taleb al-Saidi, also known as Abu Taqwa, its deputy head of operations in Baghdad.
Saeedi was also a commander in the Harakat al-Nujaba militia, which is close to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. The strike hit a building that was described by the PMU as a “logistical support headquarters” affiliated to the group on Palestine Street in the centre of the Iraqi capital.
The strike killed and injured several other fighters, Iraqi authorities added. Footage and images published by pro-militia channels on Telegram showed a destroyed vehicle engulfed in flames, which they said was the target of the strike. The Financial Times could not independently verify the authenticity of the social media posts.
It was not immediately clear who carried out the strike. Targeted strikes in central Baghdad have become increasingly rare.
The PMU said Saidi was killed “as a result of brutal American aggression”, but did not give any details to substantiate the claim. Other influential militia leaders also blamed the US.
The “unjustified” attack was a “dangerous escalation and a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty”, said a statement from the office of prime minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani.
The US military and embassy in Baghdad did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Islamic Resistance of Iraq, a newly created shadowy group of Iran-backed militias, has carried out more than 100 attacks on military bases housing US and other foreign troops in Iraq and Syria since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza strip on October 7.
The IRI has said the attacks are in retaliation for US President Joe Biden’s support of Israel in its war against the armed Palestinian group. Experts believe Harakat al-Nujaba is one of the IRI’s most influential factions.
Last month, Washington carried out retaliatory air strikes in Iraq after a drone attack by Iran-aligned militants left one US service member in critical condition and wounded two others. It has also carried out recent attacks against Iran-aligned groups in Syria.
Thursday’s strike comes two days after a suspected drone attack killed Saleh al-Arouri, Hamas’ deputy leader, in Beirut. Lebanon and Hamas both blamed Israel for the strike. In the past Israel has conducted strikes on weapons depots and facilities linked to Iran-backed Shia militias in Iraq.
Israel’s military and government did not respond to a request for comment when asked whether it was involved in Thursday’s strike. It usually neither confirms nor denies accusations that it has carried out an assassination.
Sudani recently said that Iraq’s government was “proceeding to end the presence of the international coalition forces”. While he became prime minister with the backing of Iran-aligned factions and militias, Sudani has also tried to maintain good relations with Washington.
Baghdad’s ties with Washington would be strained if the US confirmed it carried out the strike, strengthening domestic calls to oust international troops from Iraq.
There are more than 2,500 US troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria, who advise and assist local forces in preventing a resurgence in the activities of Isis militants. The anti-terror coalition was established in 2014.
“We view this action as a dangerous escalation and assault on Iraq, diverging from the spirit and the text of the mandate and the mission for which the global coalition was established in Iraq,” said Yahia Rasool, Iraq’s military spokesman.
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