Air strike on Iraqi militia kills six

Six fighters of an Iraqi militia backed by Iran were killed in an airstrike north of Baghdad as tensions in Iraq continue to escalate.

The strike on Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella force of Shiite militias that receive support from Iran, also critically wounded three, an Iraqi army source told Reuters.

The army source said two of the three vehicles making up a militia convoy were found burned after the attack, which took place at 1:12 a.m Saturday local time.

The attack comes a day after a U.S. airstrike killed Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s top general who directed Tehran’s network of international proxies in the Middle East and beyond.

The U.S. military later denied any responsibility for the latest strike.

FACT: The Coalition @CJTFOIR did NOT conduct airstrikes near Camp Taji (north of Baghdad) in recent days.

— OIR Spokesman Col. Myles B. Caggins III (@OIRSpox) January 4, 2020

The strike against Soleimani has raised fears of increased violence in the Middle East. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed “harsh retaliation” over the strike, causing concern that Tehran could tap its militias across the world to attack American interests.