Iran19 March, 20262 min read
US And Israel Strike PMF Positions In Kirkuk, Mosul, Killing Fighters And Two Iraqi Police
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Two Iraqi police officers killed in Mosul airstrike on police unit. Three PMF fighters killed near Kirkuk Airport in Nineveh region strikes.
Escalation into Iraqi fronts
The US-Israeli campaign has widened into Iraqi soil with strikes on PMF positions around Kirkuk and on a PMF outpost in Mosul that killed three fighters and two Iraqi police. Across Nineveh and Kirkuk, PMF spokespeople described the strikes as 'treacherous Zionist-American' attacks, a framing echoed by multiple outlets.
“Air strikes targeting Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) have killed three fighters and two Iraqi police, as the US-Israeli war on Iran continued to spill over Iraq’s eastern border.”
Western and regional outlets frame this as part of a broader late-February offensive against Iran, not isolated raids. Casualty tallies and attribution vary across sources, underscoring the volatility and risk of misattribution in fast-moving West Asia warfare.
Kirkuk and Mosul strike specifics
Al Jazeera reports that a double strike hit the PMF headquarters near Kirkuk Airport, killing three PMF fighters and two Iraqi police, and wounding two other fighters and six Iraqi soldiers. 964media notes another Kirkuk strike that killed three PMF members and wounded four.
The Mosul incident targeted a police unit, with two officers killed according to interior ministry accounts cited by Al Jazeera and The New Arab. Anadolu Agency notes a Nineveh Plain strike targeting the 30th Brigade's positions described as a 'treacherous' US-Israeli airstrike.
Who’s blamed and how framed
The PMF blamed the attack on Israel and the United States. The New Region and Oz Arab Media both report PMF language calling the attack 'treacherous Zionist-American'.
“The PMF blamed the attack on Israel and the United States.”
964media notes that neither the United States nor Israel has publicly claimed responsibility in some reports. An Anadolu Agency filing treats the strikes within the broader US-Israel offensive against Iran.
Regional context and spillover
Iraq was turning into an 'expanded battleground' in the crisis. The US and Israel have repeatedly targeted PMF sites since launching a large-scale military offensive against Iran in late February.
Iraq has been increasingly drawn into a conflict it had sought to avoid. Baghdad faces a difficult balancing act between Tehran and Washington.
Diplomacy, blame, and civilian risk
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the attack, alongside Iran's Revolutionary Guards, according to Al Jazeera. KRG officials condemned the strikes and urged Baghdad to rein in PMF actions, signaling a call for restraint.
“French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the attack, alongside Iran's Revolutionary Guards.”
In several reports, neither the United States nor Israel claimed responsibility, leaving accountability ambiguous. The casualty counts differ across outlets, highlighting the need for cross-checking as the frontlines shift.
