PMF condemns airstrikes on operational headquarters in Anbar and Mosul

BAGHDAD — The Popular Mobilization Forces condemned what it described as U.S. airstrikes on its operational headquarters in Anbar and Mosul on Thursday, calling the attacks a “serious and blatant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and an unacceptable breach of all legal and international frameworks.”

The PMF said the strikes targeted “official and administrative sites known and registered within the structure of the Iraqi state and with the knowledge and coordination of joint operations,” adding that the locations “do not represent any threat or justification for this aggression.” It held “the attacking parties fully responsible for the consequences of this escalation” and said it retains the right to take “necessary legitimate measures in accordance with international law to prevent the recurrence of such attacks.”

The statement is notable for attributing the strikes specifically to the United States — dropping the “joint Zionist-American” framing used in earlier PMF statements — and for emphasizing that the targeted sites were administrative headquarters registered within the Iraqi state structure and coordinated with joint operations command, a direct challenge to any justification for the strikes.

The group called for “a unified national stance and a responsible position from all national forces to protect Iraq’s sovereignty.”

The strikes are the latest in a sustained wave of hits on PMF positions since the regional war began Feb. 28. Prime Minister Sudani visited PMF headquarters earlier Thursday, vowing the government “cannot be lenient in the face of any targeting of PMF fighters,” while reiterating that Iraq will not allow any party to drag it into the regional war. Iraq has filed a legal complaint over the strikes, though the venue for proceedings has not been specified. Neither the United States nor Israel has publicly claimed responsibility for any of the attacks.