At least 20 killed in U.S.-Saudi strikes in Iraq: former paramilitaries

U.S.-Saudi strikes on Iraq on Wednesday (July 29, 2026) killed at least 20 members of a former paramilitary alliance that includes pro-Iran groups, the alliance said.

Also read: West Asia war updates on July 29, 2026

The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an alliance of former paramilitary groups and factions now integrated into the Iraqi armed forces, said at least 20 fighters “were martyred and another 32 wounded according to a preliminary toll” following the U.S.-Saudi strikes on its bases in seven provinces.

The United States and Saudi Arabia said they had struck Iran-backed militants in Iraq in response to attacks on U.S. forces and Saudi oil facilities.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity.

The PMF is an alliance of paramilitaries and 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 alliance, but many of these groups have a reputation for acting on their own.

In a statement on Wednesday (July 29, 2026), the PMF described the U.S.-Saudi strikes as a “dangerous escalation, a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty, and an attack on its official security institutions”.

The U.S.-Saudi strikes came after Riyadh said its forces had intercepted drones targeting oil facilities in the east, blaming Iran-backed groups in Iraq.

But these groups described Saudi Arabia’s accusations as “fabrications” and warned it against attacking Iraq.

The most active pro-Iran armed groups are united under an alliance known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which has interfered in support of Tehran during the war in West Asia, claiming hundreds of attacks against U.S. bases in Iraq and across the region.

But they have not claimed any attacks since hostilities between the U.S. and Iran resumed earlier this month.

Washington and Tehran are Iraq’s main allies, but their enmity has long turned the country into a proxy battleground and left successive governments struggling to maintain a delicate balance between the foes.

Amid growing U.S. pressure, Iraq’s new Prime Minister, Ali al-Zaidi, who came to power this year with Washington’s blessing, vowed to ensure pro-Iran armed groups would hand over their weapons but has faced pushback from some powerful factions.

Earlier this month, Zaidi visited both the United States and Iran.