Coalition denies report that airstrike hit Iran-backed paramilitary forces in Iraq
A coalition spokesman denied that a convoy that included Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces was hit by an airstrike in Iraq on Saturday morning.
The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) had said that an airstrike killed and wounded several of its forces near northern Baghdad’s Taji camp.
“The Coalition did NOT conduct airstrikes near Camp Taji (north of Baghdad) in recent days,” Col. Myles B. Caggins III, spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, tweeted.
Iraq’s Joint Operations Command also denied reports that an airstrike took place.
“The Joint Operations Command calls for caution in reporting and spreading rumors especially at this time,” it said in a statement Saturday.
In a statement, the PMF had said an initial report indicated that the strike targeted a convoy belonging to the medical units for the Popular Mobilization Forces, near Taji Stadium in Baghdad. It was not known who carried out the reported airstrike on Saturday. Iraqi state news also reported a strike against the paramilitary forces.
The action comes a day after an airstrike ordered by US President Donald Trump killed a top Iranian commander, Qasem Soleimani, at a Baghdad airport.
Trump said Friday that Soleimani was plotting “imminent and sinister attacks” on Americans. Iran called it state terrorism and an unlawful criminal act.
Soleimani’s killing marked a major escalation in regional tensions that have pitted Tehran against Washington and its allies in the Middle East, raising the specter of further regional destabilization. The strike, condemned by Iran and its allies as an “assassination,” has been met with concern by European officials and the United Nations, who have called for de-escalation.
