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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) have “dealt” with an unidentified drone flying over one of their Nineveh headquarters on Monday, it claims, as the Iran-backed militia has faced a spate of alleged air attacks on its installations.
“Hashd al-Shaabi’s Operations Command in Nineveh has dealt with an unidentified drone over one of its headquarters and forced it to withdraw amid intensive fire cover,” the PMF’s Media Directorate tweeted.
Air defense weapons fired on the drone and forced its retreat, according to a tweet from the PMF, known in Arabic as Hashd al-Shaabi, early on Monday evening.
“Hashd al-Shaabi’s Operations Command in Nineveh has dealt with an unidentified drone over one of its headquarters and forced it to withdraw amid intensive fire cover,” the PMF’s Media Directorate tweeted.
The drone was observed flying over the headquarters for over 20 minutes by the PMF’s Nineveh Operations Command intelligence service, according to the Media Directorate’s website.
“After establishing […] that the drone was not Iraqi, and that the Joint Operations Command [coordinating body of Iraq’s security forces] was not aware of it, it was dealt with instantly with ‘anti-aircraft weapons’,” the directorate said.
This is the second targeting of an unidentified drone by the PMF in the vicinity of one of its headquarters. Last Thursday, the group claimed to have targeted a drone flying over the headquarters of its Brigade 12 in the Baghdad Belt (areas encircling Baghdad) using its air defenses.
At least one PMF member was killed in a strike on Sunday by an unidentified drone in Anbar province’s al-Qaim district near the Syrian border.
PMF weapons depots have also been rocked by explosions believed to have been caused by airstrikes.
Speculation over the perpetrators of the attacks has run rife, though fingers are currently being pointed at Israel.
PMF deputy head Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis blamed the US and Israel for weapons depot explosions, while the PMF’s Operations Authority accused Israel of conducting the Sunday drone strike in Anbar.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fueled suspicions of involvement in the attacks by reportedly saying that Israel will target Iranian-backed groups “wherever it is necessary."
Currently striking Iranian targets in Syria, Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel’s intention to attack Iranian targets threatening Israel “wherever they are located” in a phone call with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday.
Iraq’s three presidencies - President Barham Salih, Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi, and Speaker of the Council of Representatives Mohammed al-Halbousi – vowed to protect the PMF from future attacks after a meeting with the head of the Popular Mobilization [Forces] Commission Falih al-Fayadh and other PMF leaders on Monday.
In a step to provide such protection, Iraq hopes to “bolster its defense capabilities,” according to a statement released by Abdul-Mahdi after Monday’s meeting, while an August 23 National Security Council meeting discussed the introduction of measures to “arm the air defense command in a manner appropriate for current and future conditions.”
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