Iraq
Members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) pictured during an operation in Tal Afar in nothern Iraq on August 22, 2017. Photo AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) have revised the death toll to three members who were killed in a blast in Baghdad, reportedly caused by leftover explosives from the Islamic State (ISIS) on Tuesday.
In a late Tuesday statement, the organization said that three of its members were killed while performing their duties in Baghdad. It also wished “a speedy recovery to the wounded,” without specifying their exact number.
Earlier that day, the PMF had reported that one of its members “was martyred and two others were injured as a result of an accidental explosion that occurred while conducting a technical duty in the Juraf al-Nadaf area in Baghdad."
The explosion was reportedly triggered by “explosive materials left behind by the terrorist ISIS gangs,” which were stored inside one of the PMF’s depots in the southern part of the capital.
“The incident was brought under control, and the necessary measures were taken,” the PMF added, emphasizing the continued efforts of its teams to “clear areas of terrorist remnants and safeguard citizens’ lives.”
The PMF was established in 2014 during the ISIS blitz offensive, when the group seized control of large parts of northern and western Iraq. Its formation followed a religious edict, or Fatwa, issued by Iraq’s highest Shiite authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.
The umbrella organization consists of roughly 70 predominantly Shiite armed groups, with an estimated 250,000 members.
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