Airstrike in central Baghdad kills Iran-backed militia leader as regional tensions escalate

An airstrike on the logistical support headquarters of an Iran-backed militia in central Baghdad Thursday killed a high-ranking militia commander, militia officials said, as tension continued to rise across the region.

The Popular Mobilization Force – a coalition of militias that is nominally under the control of the Iraqi military – announced in a statement that its deputy head of operations in Baghdad, Mushtaq Taleb al-Saidi, or “Abu Taqwa,” had been killed “as a result of brutal American aggression.”

The prime minister’s office in Iraq said that the US-led international coalition bears responsibility for an “unjustified” attack on an Iraqi security force. Reuters reports the office said “The attack is a dangerous escalation and a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty.”

Associated Press reports it was not immediately clear who had carried out the strike.

The strike killed two people and wounded five, according to two militia officials who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly. One of the officials said al-Saidi was driving into the garage of the headquarters affiliated with the al-Nujaba militia, one of the members of the PMF, along with another militia official when the car was hit, killing both.

The attack in Baghdad comes amid Israel’s ongoing ariel bombardment and ground operation in Gaza, repeated exchanges of fire between Israel and anti-Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, and Yemen Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. The killing on Tuesday of a senior Hamas figure in Beirut, the deaths yesterday in Iran of over 80 people in explosions at a Kerman ceremony marking anniversary of killing of Qassem Suleimani, and Israeli strikes inside Syria have all added to widening regional fears of escalation.

Source » theguardian.com