HAAA to convene emergency meeting following US airstrike on PMF in Babil

Shafaq News/ Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya (HAAA) announced on Wednesday that it would hold an emergency meeting of the "Resistance Coordination Committee" to discuss a response to a recent US airstrike that targeted al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces-PMF) in Babil governorate.

HAAA is part of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), which is an umbrella organization encompassing all Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups such as Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, and Ansar Allah al-Awfiya, all of which are designated by Washington as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists.

Ali al-Fatlawi, a senior member of the group, told Shafaq News Agency that the meeting will address the American strike on the PMF forces and "explore potential retaliatory measures. The final stance of the Resistance Coordination Committee is expected to be revealed in the coming hours following the meeting, which will include leaders from all affiliated factions."

Earlier, the Spokesperson for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, PM Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, Maj. Gen. Yahya Rasool reported that the Global Coalition Forces committed a "heinous crime" north of Babil, pledging to take appropriate legal and diplomatic measures to "preserve rights."

An American official confirmed on Wednesday that US forces conducted a "defensive" airstrike against fighters in Babil who were reportedly attempting to launch drones threatening American and Coalition forces. The strike resulted in the deaths of four PMF members.