Hashed military force says 'US strike' killed top Iran, Iraq commanders at Baghdad airport

A US strike killed top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani and the deputy head of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi military force at Baghdad's airport early Friday, the Hashed announced.

"The deputy head of the Hashed, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and head of the Quds Force, Qasem Soleimani, were killed in a US strike that targeted their car on the Baghdad International Airport road," the group said in a statement.

The international airport was hit in a volley of missiles just after midnight, Iraq's military said.

Security sources said the rockets targeted a Hashed convoy and left eight people dead, including "important figures."