ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Six people were killed in two separate strikes targeting positions of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), also known as Hashd al-Shaabi, in Kirkuk’s northwestern Dibis district early Tuesday, the Kirkuk operations command told Rudaw.
The command said nearly 20 others were injured in the attacks, with some reported in critical condition, adding that: "When the first strike occurred, ambulances and local people rushed to the aid of the wounded and the martyrs. However, it was bombarded a second time, and most of those who were wounded are civilians."
The attack, targeting the headquarters of the 40th Brigade of the PMF, came hours after the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone call with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani during which he stressed that the Iraqi government must take “all possible measures” to protect American personnel and facilities across the country,
Rubio also strongly condemned what he described as “terrorist attacks” by Iran and Iran-aligned armed groups operating in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
In a readout of the call provided to Rudaw, US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Rubio “strongly condemned terrorist attacks by Iran and Iran-aligned militia groups in Iraq, including in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.”
He added that the two leaders “reiterated the importance of the Iraqi government taking all possible measures to safeguard U.