Two dead in US strikes against Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq

U.S. forces bombed sites used by Iran-backed militants in Iraq early on Wednesday after a spate of attacks targeting U.S. personnel, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said, killing two persons, according to Iraqi officials.

The strikes came just days after U.S. troops in western Iraq were targeted with ballistic missiles and rockets in an attack the Pentagon blamed on militants supported by Tehran.

According to Iraqi sources, the U.S. strikes targeted the Hezbollah Brigades, a group affiliated with the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation force), an alliance of Iran-backed former paramilitary groups now integrated in Iraq's regular armed forces.