TASS, January 3. Commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were killed in a missile attack near the Baghdad airport on Friday, Sky News Arabia TV channel has reported.

Two high-ranking military officials were traveling in a convoy of vehicles, which were targeted by a series of missile attacks, according to the report. The Pentagon is waiting for DNA tests to confirm these deaths, Newsweek magazine reported citing its source.

A spokesperson for the Popular Mobilization Forces earlier said among those killed were five members of the group and two others were guests who had arrived in the Baghdad airport.

The airport has been temporarily closed for security reasons.

The US has confirmed delivering strikes on two Iranian-linked targets in Baghdad on Friday, Reuters reported citing sources in the Washington administration.

Earlier, AFP reported citing a source in Iraqi security forces that at least eight people were killed in a missile attack on the Baghdad airport.

The Quds Force is a unit in Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) that is actively involved in military conflicts in Syria and Iraq. It is believed that its successful operations are mainly to the credit of commander Qassem Soleimani. The Trump administration has branded Soleimani as a terrorist.

The Shia units of the Popular Mobilization Forces fought on the Iraqi army’s side and helped defeat the Islamic State (terror group, outlawed in Russia) in Iraq and Syria.