An airstrike targeted a position belonging to Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in the Nineveh Plain near the town of Bartella, east of Mosul, according to several Iraqi media reports.
Security sources said the strike hit an area close to positions used by the PMF’s 30th Brigade, commonly known as the Shabak Brigade, which operates across the Nineveh Plain. The extent of casualties or material damage was not immediately clear, and no group has officially claimed responsibility for the attack.
Some reports indicated that the bombardment may have struck logistical or ammunition storage facilities linked to the brigade. Witnesses also reported aircraft remaining in the airspace over the Bartella and Bashiqa area for several hours following the strike.
The attack is part of a broader wave of drone and airstrikes targeting PMF-linked sites across Iraq in recent days. Other strikes have reportedly hit PMF positions in Nineveh, Anbar, and Kirkuk provinces, killing and wounding several fighters in separate incidents earlier in the week.
These incidents come during a period of heightened regional tensions involving Iran, Israel, and the United States. Iran-aligned militias operating in Iraq under the umbrella of the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” have intensified attacks on U.S. military facilities and interests in the country since the escalation of the regional conflict.
The PMF’s 30th Brigade is largely composed of members of the Shabak minority, many of whom live in the Nineveh Plains. The unit has maintained a long-term presence in the area since the fight against ISIS and remains one of several PMF formations deployed across northern Iraq.
Although no country has formally taken responsibility for the latest strike, some PMF officials and local sources have suggested the United States may have been behind the attack, reflecting a pattern of unclaimed airstrikes that have recently targeted Iran-aligned factions in Iraq.
Unconfirmed reports claim that the militia has abandoned its positions in the Nineveh Plain following the bombings, with the Iraqi army moving in to the area.
There are no reports about any targeting of the Assyrian NPU force which is also stationed in the Nineveh Plains.
