Since the Middle East war began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, Iraq has been increasingly drawn into a conflict it had sought to avoid at all costs.

Pro-Iran Iraqi armed groups have carried out drone and rocket attacks against multiple US targets including the embassy in Baghdad.

Strikes have also targeted bases of the former paramilitary group the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), which was integrated into the regular army but also contains some pro-Iran factions that have acted independently in the past. The PMF has blamed previous attacks on the US or Israel.

One PMF fighter was killed and six wounded after two missiles struck a base near Kirkuk city's international airport on Saturday, security and medical sources told AFP.

It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the attack.

Relations between Washington and Baghdad have been strained as the Middle East war has gone on, particularly after a strike on a medical clinic in western Iraq that killed seven members of the security forces.

Iraq has not officially blamed the United States, but did summon the country's charge d'affaires over the strike.

Washington has strongly denied targeting Iraqi security forces.

On Friday Washington and Baghdad said they would "intensify cooperation" to prevent attacks and ensure Iraqi territory is not used to launch assaults against US facilities.

Earlier this week, Iraq granted the PMF permission to "respond" to attacks after 15 of its fighters were killed in a strike.

- Drone attacks -

The Iraqi defence ministry said on Saturday that a drone had crashed into the southern Majnoon oil field "without detonating, causing no damage or injuries".

The facility's operations have been paused since the outbreak of the war.

A drone had targeted the US diplomatic centre in the Baghdad airport overnight, a security official told AFP, though they were unable to provide details on any damage.

The official added that "US military equipment" had been removed on a cargo plane early Saturday morning. Another security official had earlier reported waves of personnel had departed the base.

An AFP journalist also heard an explosion near the international airport in Erbil on Saturday, with a witness saying they saw smoke.

The city is home to a major US consulate complex, and the airport hosts military advisers with the US-led anti-jihadist international coalition.

Late on Friday, the influential Tehran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah -- designated a terror organisation by Washington -- announced it would extend a pause on attacks against the US embassy.

It first announced the pause on March 19 and has extended it once already.