Iraq's paramilitary member killed in unidentified airstrikes

BAGHDAD, March 7 (Xinhua) -- One member of the Iraqi paramilitary Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) was killed and three others wounded on Saturday in unidentified airstrikes in Iraq's northern province of Nineveh, the Iraqi military said.

A statement by the Iraqi Joint Operations Command's Security Media Cell (SMC) said that the strikes occurred at approximately 6:10 p.m. local time (1510 GMT).

One of the attacks struck the headquarters of the PMF's 40th Brigade, and another targeted the PMF's 33rd Regiment, resulting in casualties and material losses.

During the past days, several PMF members were killed in attacks, which the group attributed to U.S.-Israeli bombs.

In a separate statement, the SMC said an unidentified drone was intercepted near Erbil International Airport at about 7:45 p.m. local time.

The drone crashed onto a plastics warehouse, causing a fire, it said, adding that civil defense teams extinguished the fire, causing no casualties and only material damage.

The strikes occurred amid heightened regional tensions following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran starting on Feb. 28, to which Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on Israel and U.S. assets across the Middle East. ■