‘A heinous crime’: Air strikes kill seven fighters in Iraq’s Anbar

‘A heinous crime’: Air strikes kill seven fighters in Iraq’s AnbarPolice source tells Al Jazeera the attack hits positions of the Iran-aligned PMF, which the US has increasingly targeted.An aerial attack on a military base in western Iraq’s Anbar province has killed seven fighters and wounded 13, according to Iraq’s Ministry of Defence.The strikes on Wednesday targeted the military healthcare clinic at the base in Habbaniyah, according to the ministry. It called the attack “a heinous crime” that violated “all international laws and norms”.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Is Iran’s negotiating position stronger than when US-Israeli war started?list 2 of 3Amid US-Israeli attacks, people in Iran struggle to survive ailing economylist 3 of 3What we know about the US’s 15-point plan Iran proposalend of listAn Iraqi police source told Al Jazeera the attack targeted positions of the Iraqi military’s Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), a paramilitary group that includes some Iran-aligned brigades and reportedly shares the base with members of Iraq’s regular army.The PMF condemned the attack as a “blatant aggression [that] constitutes a grave violation of national sovereignty and an unacceptable transgression against the Iraqi security forces”.“We also call upon all the sons and daughters of the Iraqi people to unite and stand together during this critical time, and to support state institutions and security forces in carrying out their sacred duty,” the group said in a statement.The strikes appeared appeared to be the first time the PMF was hit alongside the broader Iraqi military, according to Al Jazeera’s Assed Baig, reporting from Baghdad.“What we understand from the military here is that air strikes were carried out and then further strikes carried out on that same position,” said Baig.After the strikes, ⁠Iraqi ⁠Prime Minister Mohammed ⁠Shia al-Sudani ⁠instructed the Ministry ‌of Foreign Affairs to summon the US charge d’affaires in ⁠Baghdad over attacks ⁠targeting ⁠its “military units”, ⁠the ⁠prime minister’s office said. The office added that Iraq’s government would file a formal complaint with the United Nations Security Council and other international bodies over the incident, which it warned could undermine US-Iraq relations.‘Right to respond’A security official quoted by the AFP news agency said the strike on Wednesday occurred at the same base that suffered a deadly attack the day before.