Iraq evacuates base in Al-Anbar after series of airstrikes

Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) evacuated a base belonging to its 55th Brigade in western Al-Anbar province on March 12 as tensions rise following a wave of airstrikes on PMF positions across the country, a security source said.

The base, located in the town of Husaybah Al-Sharqiyah near the Iraqi-Syrian border, was fully cleared of personnel and vehicles as a precautionary measure, the source told Shafaq News. The evacuation was carried out without incident.

The move came shortly after reports of internal disagreement within the PMF’s Al-Anbar operations command over a separate order to evacuate its headquarters in Al-Habbaniyah, which houses roughly 250 personnel.

According to sources, the operations commander ordered the headquarters evacuated as a precaution. However, the unit’s security director—who was outside the base at the time—sent a message instructing personnel to delay the evacuation. The conflicting directives left troops inside the compound uncertain about which order to follow.

The developments follow a series of reported airstrikes targeting PMF facilities in several Iraqi provinces. The group says 32 strikes have hit its positions since the start of the month, leaving 27 fighters dead and about 50 others wounded.

On March 13, an airstrike struck Camp Saqr, a military facility south of Baghdad, killing one PMF member and injuring three others, according to local reports.

By Sabina Mammadli