BAGHDAD, March 16 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Shiite militia Kata'ib Hezbollah announced on Monday the death of its security official, Abu Ali al-Askari, and named a successor to the post.
According to a statement by the group, al-Askari had been killed, without providing details on the timing and location of the incident, or any link to the ongoing regional conflict.
The group simultaneously announced the appointment of Abu Mujahid al-Assaf as the new security official.
The same day, Iraq's paramilitary Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) said that six of its members were killed and four others wounded in an Israeli attack in the western province of Anbar.
Over the past few days, dozens of PMF members have been killed, for which the group blamed U.S.-Israeli operations.
The attacks came amid heightened tensions following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran starting Feb. 28, to which Iran and its regional allies responded with attacks on Israeli and U.S. interests across the Middle East. ■
