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The Times of India
The Times of India
World
TOI World Desk

'Missile for missile, fire for fire': Iraq militia vows retaliation against US, Saudi Arabia

Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba militia, has vowed to retaliate against the United States and Saudi Arabia over joint strikes last month that killed members of Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), an Iran-backed paramilitary group.

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"Missiles can only be countered with missiles, and fire can only be met with fire," said Sheikh Akram al-Kaabi, the group's secretary-general.

"The option of diplomacy with the despicable Wahhabi Al Saud regime is futile," al-Kaabi said, claiming that Saudi Arabia had been behind "many of the conspiracies that targeted Iraq and its people."

Al-Kaabi, made the remarks in a statement on Saturday. He rejected diplomacy with Saudi Arabia and accused Riyadh of involvement in attacks against Iraq and its people.

Al-Kaabi rejected financial compensation for those killed, saying no amount of money could make up for the loss suffered by their families.

"What compensation are you talking about that is worth their sacred blood, and what money can bring back joy to their orphans, their bereaved mothers, and their widowed wives?" he added.

His remarks came days after US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces and CENTCOM had jointly carried out precision strikes on Iran-aligned militant sites in Iraq, targeting locations used for logistics and weapons operations.

CENTCOM said the strikes were conducted on July 28 against groups it described as Iran-aligned terrorists that had been directed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to target US forces and Saudi energy infrastructure.

The command also said that Iran-aligned militant groups operating in Iraq had made more than 600 attempted attacks against US citizens and facilities between February and April 2026.

According to Iranian state broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the strikes killed 20 people and injured 32 others.

The PMF, in a statement carried by IRIB, said, "According to initial statistics, at least 20 of our forces were martyred, and 32 others were wounded in the joint US-Saudi attacks that targeted several official headquarters of the Popular Mobilisation Forces in various Iraqi provinces."

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