Baghdad: Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) reported that a US strike resulted in the deaths of 15 of its members, including Saad Duwa, the operations commander for the Anbar region. The incident occurred at an operations site on Tuesday.

According to Anadolu Agency, the PMF released a statement on Facebook mourning the loss of their fighters, describing them as heroic. The statement named Dr. Saad Duwai as the martyred commander and condemned the US strike as treacherous, having specifically targeted the operations headquarters.

The PMF was established in 2014 following a religious edict by top cleric Ali al-Sistani to combat the ISIS (Daesh) terrorist group. In 2016, the organization was officially integrated into the Iraqi armed forces. The recent strike is part of a broader pattern of attacks against the PMF, which has seen numerous casualties among its ranks. These attacks coincide with the ongoing conflict involving Israel and the United States against Iran, which began on February 28.