Iraq has been pulled into the war triggered by Israel and the United States striking Iran on February 28, and which has since engulfed much of the region. In autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan, a ballistic missile attack killed six peshmergas, with the region accusing Iran of conducting the first such deadly attack since the war began. It described the strike, the deadliest in Iraq since the Iran war began, as a “treacherous American attack that targeted the operation headquarters”. The overnight strike targeted a base in the western Anbar province bordering Syria, long the scene of operations against the Islamic State group. Last week, the Pentagon acknowledged that combat helicopters had carried out strikes against pro-Iran armed groups in Iraq during the current conflict.

Source: Punch March 24, 2026 10:42 UTC