US-Saudi strikes on Iraq on Wednesday killed at least 20 members of the Hashed al-Shaabi, an armed Iraqi alliance that includes pro-Iran groups, the alliance said.

The United States and Saudi Arabia said they had struck Iran-backed militants in Iraq in response to attacks on US forces and Saudi oil facilities.

Washington and Tehran are Iraq’s main allies, but their enmity has long turned the country into a proxy battleground and left successive governments struggling to maintain a delicate balance between the foes.

The Hashed al-Shaabi, also known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), said that at least 20 fighters “were martyred and another 32 wounded according to a preliminary toll”.

The Hashed alliance was created in 2014 to fight jihadists before it was formally integrated into the armed forces.

It includes brigades belonging to Iran-backed groups reputed for acting unilaterally.

US President Donald Trump said the strikes were coordinated with the Iraqi government, according to Fox News.

They follow growing US pressure on Baghdad to disarm pro-Iran armed groups which have frequently targeted US facilities in the country and have long called for the withdrawal of US troops.

Iraq’s new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who came to power this year with Washington’s blessing, vowed to ensure those groups would hand over their weapons, but has faced pushback from some powerful factions.

Earlier this month, Zaidi visited both the United States, where he met Trump, and Iran.

‘Blatant violation’

The Iraqi presidency denounced the strikes as “a blatant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty” without naming the US and Saudi.

It also said it rejects the use of Iraqi territory to launch attacks on neighbouring countries.

The strikes came after Riyadh said its forces had intercepted drones targeting oil facilities, blaming Iran-backed groups in Iraq.

The most active pro-Iran armed groups are united under an alliance known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which has acted in support of Tehran during the Middle East war, claiming hundreds of attacks against US bases in Iraq and across the region.

But they have not claimed any attacks since the US-Iran war resumed earlier this month.

The Hashed said the strikes hit bases in seven provinces, including Baghdad, Nineveh in the north and Basra in the south, causing material damage as well.

It denounced a “dangerous escalation” against an “official security institution”.

Zaidi’s government has given pro-Iran armed groups, which Washington designates as terrorist organisations, until September 30 to disarm.

Oil-rich Iraq has been trying to move past decades of war and unrest, but it remains vulnerable to regional and internal flare-ups.