ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – A “large number” of Hashd al-Shaabi forces were killed and wounded in US airstrikes, the group has claimed. Sayyid al-Shuhada, a member of the mainly Shiite force, stated that their forces were bombed by US planes on Monday in Anbar province near the Iraq-Syria border and that they suffered many casualties. “We will not be silent in the face of this incident,” the statement read, calling for Hashd forces to meet to discuss the matter and take necessary measures. The Sayyid al-Shuhada also demanded an investigation from the Iraqi government. Neither Baghdad nor Washington had made immediate comments on the incident. The Hashd al-Shaabi was made an official Iraqi force in an act of parliament late last year.
