Fresh strike on base in western Iraq kills seven

BAGHDAD: A new strike in western Iraq killed seven security personnel, the defence ministry said on Wednesday, a day after a deadly attack on the same base targeted the former paramilitary Hashed al Shaabi. Iraq has been unwillingly pulled into the war sparked by US and Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28, and which has since engulfed much of the region. 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, including on state-linked positions.
The the office of the prime minister said Iraq would submit a formal complaint over the latest strike to the United Nations Security Council. The defence ministry said seven security personnel were killed and 13 others wounded in the attack on the base in Anbar province, which hosts both regular security personnel and Hashed forces. The ministry said the air strike also targeted the base's military healthcare clinic. It labelled the assault a 'flagrant and dangerous violation of international law, which prohibits targeting medical facilities and their personnel'. Rescue operations were ongoing, it added.
A security official said that a military doctor was among those killed, and six of those wounded belonged to the Hashed al Shaabi, also known as the Popular Mobilisation Force (PMF). It follows Tuesday's strike on the same base which was the deadliest in Iraq since the start of the war, killing 15 PMF fighters including a commander. — AFP