Strike hits former paramilitary base near Iraq’s Mosul: officials

BAGHDAD: An airstrike on Monday hit a base belonging to the Hashed Al-Shaabi coalition in northern Iraq, according to officials from the former paramilitary alliance, which includes pro-Iran factions.
One of the officials blamed the strike on the United States, saying it hit a base in Bartella area near the city of Mosul in Nineveh province.
Another Hashed source and a local official confirmed the attack, with no casualties reported.
The Hashed Al-Shaabi, or the Popular Mobilization Forces, is an alliance of factions created in 2014 to fight jihadists and is now integrated into the Iraqi armed forces.
Iran-backed groups have brigades that operate within the Hashed Al-Shaabi, but have a reputation for acting on their own.
Since the start of the Middle East war, bases belonging to Hashed Al-Shaabi have been hit several times, with strikes targeting Tehran-backed armed groups.
These groups are also united under a loose alliance called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which has claimed attacks against US bases in Iraq.