Deadly strikes in Iraq kills 15 fighters, blamed US-Iran

BAGHDAD, Mar 24: An air strike in Iraq killed 15 members of a former paramilitary coalition, the deadliest attack on the group since the Iran war began, as missile fire elsewhere in the country killed six Kurdish security personnel.
Iraq has been pulled into the war triggered by Israel and the United States striking Iran on February 28, and which has since engulfed much of the region.
The Hashed al-Shaabi coalition, part of Iraq's regular armed forces but which also includes brigades belonging to Iran-backed groups, blamed the strike that killed a commander and 14 other fighters on the United States.
In autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan, a ballistic missile attack killed six peshmergas, with the region accusing Iran of conducting the first such deadly attack since the war began.
Neither the United States nor Iran commented on the accusations.
Since the war began, pro-Iran armed groups have claimed responsibility for attacks on US interests in Iraq and across the region, while strikes have also targeted these groups.
In a statement, the Hashed al-Shaabi, also known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces, said those killed in the strike targeting its fighters included a top provincial commander.
It described the strike, the deadliest in Iraq since the Iran war began, as a "treacherous American attack that targeted the operation headquarters".
The overnight strike targeted a base in the western Anbar province bordering Syria, long the scene of operations against the Islamic State group.    �"AFP