PMF scales back presence at Al-Anbar sites amid US-Iran tensions

Shafaq News- Al-Anbar

Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) sites in western Iraq’s Al-Anbar province have been partially evacuated as a precaution amid escalating military exchanges between Iran and the United States, a security source told Shafaq News on Monday.

Staffing had been reduced at the sites, with only a limited number of locally recruited personnel remaining to provide security and carry out essential duties. Personnel are now working on a rotational basis, the source added.

The move followed renewed exchanges between Washington and Tehran after US forces struck Iranian missile launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran subsequently said it launched ballistic missiles at two US bases in Jordan in retaliation.

PMF positions in Al-Anbar were targeted during an earlier regional escalation on March 7, when US-Israeli strikes hit PMF positions in western Al-Anbar, while further strikes on March 18 targeted PMF sites in Al-Qaim, killing three fighters and wounding two.