Six killed in air strikes targeting Iraqi militia: report

File Photo: Burning debris is seen on a road near Baghdad International Airport, which according to Iraqi paramilitary groups were caused by three rockets hitting the airport in Iraq, January 3, 2020./ Reuters Photo

Six people were killed and three others critically injured during air strikes targeting an Iraqi militia convoy north of Baghdad, Reuters reported on Saturday, citing an Iraqi army source.

Two of the three vehicles making up a militia convoy were found burned, the source said, as well as six burned corpses.

The identity of those killed was not immediately known.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces said on Saturday that the strike hit a convoy of medics, not senior leaders as reported in some media.

"Initial sources confirm that the strike targeted a convoy of Popular Mobilization Forces medics near Taji stadium in Baghdad," it said in a statement.

The development came one day after U.S. airstrike killed Qasem Soleimani, commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, sparking heightened tension across the Middle East and raising fears among Iraqis.