Anbar Province Becomes Active Front — PMF Attacks US Sites, Al-Habbaniya Intelligence Unit Struck
Tit-for-tat cycle intensifies in western Iraq as Iran-aligned militia claims 23 attacks on US sites and airstrike hits PMF intelligence at Al-Habbaniya
Western Iraq's Anbar Province has emerged as the most kinetically active front in the conflict's Iraq secondary theatre. On March 25, airstrikes hit a PMF intelligence unit at Al-Habbaniya — the former RAF Habbaniya complex, one of Iraq's largest military installations, located 80 km west of Baghdad. The strike came hours after the Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed 23 drone and missile attacks on US military sites across the region over 24 hours. The cycle mirrors Day 25: the US killed 7 PMF fighters at a separate Anbar base, Iraq's NSC authorized PMF self-defense, and the militia escalated with the 23-attack claim. Now an intelligence unit — a higher-value target than a general base — has been struck at Al-Habbaniya, suggesting precision targeting aimed at decapitating PMF command capacity in Anbar. Al-Asad Air Base, one of the largest US-used facilities in Iraq, is approximately 100 km northwest of Al-Habbaniya in the same province. The Iraq tit-for-tat threatens to open a second sustained ground and air campaign in parallel with the primary Iran theatre, stretching US logistics and intelligence assets across two active fronts.
Key facts
- •Airstrike hits PMF intelligence unit at Al-Habbaniya, Anbar — attacker unconfirmed
- •Al-Habbaniya hosts former RAF Habbaniya complex — one of Iraq's largest military installations
- •Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed 23 attacks on US sites in prior 24 hours
- •US killed 7 PMF fighters at separate Anbar base Day 25; NSC authorized PMF self-defense
- •Al-Asad Air Base (100 km northwest) among US installations under sustained PMF threat
Timeline
US strikes PMF Anbar base — 7 killed; Iraq NSC authorizes PMF self-defense (Day 25)
Islamic Resistance in Iraq claims 23 drone/missile strikes on US sites over 24 hours
Airstrike hits PMF intelligence unit at Al-Habbaniya, Anbar — attacker unclear