The United States military reportedly carried out airstrikes on Tuesday, targeting the headquarters of Iraq’s Iran-backed Shiite militia, known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), as well as the residence of its leader. This marks a significant escalation in actions against militias that are important to Tehran.
This latest round of strikes follows comments made last week by General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He stated that AH-64 helicopters have been actively engaging with Iranian-aligned militia groups to neutralize any threats posed to U.S. forces or interests in Iraq.
In response, Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani issued a statement on Tuesday, suggesting a possible retaliatory stance against the U.S. He declared, “In light of the unjustified attacks and serious violations of Iraqi sovereignty, including targeting official security headquarters, the Council has decided to confront and respond to military actions using available means, in line with the right to self-defense.”
Smoke can be seen rising from the U.S. Embassy building in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 14, 2026. (Photo by Ali Jabar/AP)
Prime Minister Sudani also mentioned plans for Iraq’s foreign ministry to summon the U.S. chargé d’affaires and the Iranian ambassador separately on Wednesday. The PMF forms a part of the Sudani-led government.
An official from the Iraqi Kurdish government expressed skepticism to Fox News Digital, questioning, “So, what, the Iraqi government will now fight the Americans?”
When asked about the Iraqi Kurdish government official’s comment, an offiical for Iraq’s embassy in Washington, D.C., told Fox News Digital, “Absolutely not. It is against elements that target them.”
According to the Times of Israel, a fresh airstrike on Wednesday hit the PMF in western Iraq. “Two missiles were fired from a fighter jet” at a base in Anbar province, a security official said. The Anbar base was also reportedly struck by U.S. forces on Tuesday.
The Iraqi embassy official said, responding to additional Fox News Digital press questions, that he lacked the current information to comment regarding the fast-moving developments in Iraq.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani chairs negotiations with the United States in Baghdad, Iraq, Jan. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, Pool)
The PMF has launched attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Israel and other American assets in the region, especially in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, following the U.S.-Israel joint attack on the Islamic Republic on Feb. 28. Over the years, the PMF has been accused of killing American military personnel in the Middle East.
PMF leader Falih al-Fayadh was not present when his residence was hit in the northern city of Mosul on Tuesday. At least 15 PMF terrorists were killed in other airstrikes that hit a headquarters of the group in Iraq’s Euphrates valley province of Anbar, according to sources and a statement from the group.
The Kurdish government official told Fox News Digital on Tuesday: “The militias are brazenly doing Iran’s bidding. They’ve attacked U.S. forces and diplomats, Iraq’s own intelligence services, French troops, and the KRG’s Peshmerga [Kurdish Regional Government]. Energy and civilian infrastructure haven’t been spared. This does not require analysis — these groups openly claim responsibility.”
Supporters gather in Baghdad’s Sadr district holding Iranian flags and posters of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei following the announcement that he was killed in U.S.-Israeli attacks, on March 1, 2026. (Murtadha Al-Sudani/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The Kurdish official added: “So why does the Iraqi government continue to pay those it itself describes as terrorists and criminals? There are four principal groups: Harakat al-Nujaba, Kataeb Hezbollah, Kataeb Sayyid al-Shuhada and Asaib Ahl al-Haq. This government is unwilling to defend its own interests, let alone those of its partners. At this point, the distinction between the PMF and the state is increasingly hard to discern.”
Elizabeth Tsurkov, a senior non-resident fellow at the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy and an expert on the PMF, told Fox News Digital there was a “sense of delusion” during the Biden administration, which tried to differentiate between the PMF and six of its pro-Iran militia members that are U.S.-designated terrorist entities.
She said the recent strikes clearly “show that the U.S. is tired of this inane distinction,” Tsurkov said. She stressed the “entire PMF structure is a problem.”
Tsurkov, who was held hostage by the pro-Iranian regime, Kataib Hezbollah, for two and half years in Iraq, said, “The U.S. possesses immense leverage over Iraq. The U.S. can sanction certain ministries and certain directors generals.” She added that the U.S. can also sanction Iraqi banks that transfer money to Iran.
An explosion is reported near the U.S. Consulate and airport area, where a U.S. military base is also located, in Erbil, Iraq, on March 12, 2026. (Ahsan Mohammed Ahmed Ahmed/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Tsurkov said the PMF are highly sensitive to U.S. strikes on their top leadership.
The PMF movement is reeling from the devastating alleged U.S. airstrikes. The dead included its operations commander, Saad al-Baiji. The statement said U.S. forces had targeted a command headquarters in Anbar while personnel were on duty. The security sources said the strikes were hit during a meeting attended by senior commanders.
A State Department official told Fox News Digital, “The United States strongly condemns the widespread attacks by Iran and Iran-backed militias against U.S. citizens and targets associated with the United States throughout Iraq, including U.S. diplomatic personnel and facilities.”
The official continued: “As Secretary Rubio has said, the Iraqi government must take all measures to safeguard U.S. diplomatic personnel and facilities and ensure militia groups cannot use Iraqi territory to threaten the United States, our Iraqi partners, or the region. Doing so is in Iraq’s interest. Continued attacks by Iran-backed militias undermine Iraq’s stability and risk drawing Iraq into a broader regional conflict.”
Members of Moqtada al-Sadr’s Mehdi Army parade in Baghdad’s Shiite neighborhood of Sadr city on April 3, 2004. (Ahmed Labib/Anadolu via Getty Images)
A spokesperson for U.S. Central Command referred Fox News Digital to the White House and to the Office of the Secretary of War for comment on the administration’s policy. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Pentagon for comment.
On Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad issued a security alert warning: “Iraq Iran-aligned terrorist militias have conducted widespread attacks on U.S. citizens and targets associated with the United States throughout Iraq, including the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR). U.S. citizens should leave Iraq now.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the Israel Defense Forces regarding Israel’s role in the ongoing strikes against Iran-backed militias.
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