US Military Denies Any Involvement in Air Strike That Hit Iran-Backed Forces in Iraq

The U.S. military has denied any involvement in a large explosion that occurred at a military base in Iraq, resulting in the death of a member of Iraq’s Iran-backed paramilitary forces on Friday.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) took to X, previously known as Twitter, on Friday to address the situation, stating, “We are aware of reports alleging that the United States carried out airstrikes in Iraq today. These reports are false. The United States did not conduct any airstrikes in Iraq today.”

According to Reuters, two security sources confirmed that airstrikes caused a blast early Saturday morning at 1 a.m. local time.

Aside from the fatality of one PMF member, eight others were reported injured, as per Reuters.

A commander of the PMF forces informed Reuters that the explosion was the result of an attack. Meanwhile, the Iraqi military stated that they were investigating the cause of the blast and subsequent fire at the base. They claimed to have no knowledge of any drones or warplanes present in the sky at that time.

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Currently, the U.S.-led Coalition, comprised of 86 countries, along with the European Union, NATO, and Interpol, remains operational in Iraq at the request of the Iraqi government to prevent the resurgence of ISIS. Their mission also involves providing training and assistance to local groups and militias aligned with the United States.

There are approximately 2,500 U.S. troops currently stationed in Iraq.

One of the generals killed was Gen. Ali Reza Zahdi (also spelled Reza Zahedi), who, according to the IRGC, led the elite Quds Force in Lebanon and Syria until 2016. He was honored by the Coalition Council of Islamic Revolution Forces on April 3 for his involvement in planning and executing the Al-Aqsa Storm attack on Israel on October 7, as reported by the Iranian dissident news outlet, Iran International.

Adam Morrow and Reuters contributed to this report.