Harakat al-Nujaba chief vows strikes will not deter group as PMF losses mount

BAGHDAD — Harakat al-Nujaba secretary-general Akram al-Kaabi said Thursday the group was fully prepared for the current conflict and that no members had stood down despite sustained strikes on PMF positions across Iraq.

“This is our battle. We fought it with full will and determination, and with firm belief. We were fully prepared from the beginning for all expected scenarios, and not a single individual hesitated or stayed behind,” al-Kaabi wrote on X. He said the group’s opponents “do not dare to confront us in direct ground combat,” relying instead on “aircraft or attacks from behind walls,” adding that “the continued treacherous targeting by the enemy will not stop us or harm us, but will increase our determination, resolve, and will.”

The remarks come as airstrikes on PMF positions have mounted steadily since the regional war began Feb. 28. Six fighters were killed and four wounded Monday in Qaim district, Anbar. Kataib Hezbollah announced the death of its security chief Abu Ali al-Askari earlier this week. The PMF says strikes have hit its positions across seven governorates, killing dozens of fighters.

Harakat al-Nujaba is among the most hardline factions within the Islamic Resistance in Iraq umbrella and has claimed responsibility for numerous drone and rocket attacks on alleged U.S.-linked targets since the war began, while remaining formally incorporated into the PMF.