Unidentified aircraft attacks Iraq's Hashd al-Sha’abi forces

Iraq's pro-government Popular Mobilization Units have come under an airstrike by an unidentified aircraft near an airfield in the western province of Anbar.

An informed source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Arabic-language al-Sumaria television network that the aircraft struck the outskirts of al-Marsanat military camp, which lies 70 kilometers west of the town of al-Rutbah.

No casualties were reported in the strike.

The Iraqi Arabic-language al-Forat television network and Abu Dhabi-based Sky News Arabia television news network reported that the airstrike had been carried out by an "unknown unmanned aerial vehicle."

On September 11, the air defenses of the Popular Mobilization Units, better known by the Arabic word Hashd al-Sha'abi, thwarted an airstrike by an "unidentified" drone on a main military base in Iraq's northern-central province of Salahuddin.

The Salahuddin Operations Command Center of the volunteer forces announced in a statement that missile defense systems fired shots at the aircraft as it was flying over the headquarters of the 35th Brigade of the fighters.

The statement said the shots forced the aircraft to leave the area to an unknown location.

Second-in-command of the Popular Mobilization Units Jamal Jafaar Mohammed Al Ebrahim, better known by the nom de guerre Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes, issued an administrative order on September 5, declaring the formation of the forces' Air Force Directorate, and appointing Salah Mahdi Hantous as its chief.

SS