Iraq dismisses two senior PMF commanders over attack on government building

Clashes between Tehran-allied Kataib Hezbollah militia and government security troops last month killed at least two people

Iraqi Shiite fighters from the Iran-backed armed group Kataib Hezbollah. AFP

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani has approved the dismissal of two senior commanders in the paramilitary Popular Mobilisation Forces after clashes with police at a government building left several people dead in July, his office said on Saturday.

A government investigation found the commanders were linked to the Kataib Hezbollah militia, which staged the attack in the Iraqi capital, and the Prime Minister has also ordered the prosecution of those involved, the government said.

Mr Al Sudani, who is Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, described the attack as “heinous” and vowed there would be “no tolerance” for armed groups defying state authority.

The violence began when the Kataib Hezbollah fighters stormed a building of the Karkh Agriculture Directorate in the south of Baghdad, to forcibly reinstate a dismissed director general.

Security forces responded, sparking a gun battle that killed a policeman, a taxi driver, and at least one other person, authorities said.

At least 15 fighters have been arrested, according to authorities. They all are affiliated with the PMF – an umbrella group formed in 2014 to fight ISIS. It is composed mainly of Iran-backed militias, including Kataib Hezbollah, and has been integrated into Iraq's armed forces.

The investigation determined that fighters from the PMF’s 45th and 46th brigades – both affiliated with Kataib Hezbollah – “moved without orders or approvals, contrary to military protocols, leading to martyrs and wounded, including civilians”, said the statement.

It also found that the dismissed director, Eyad Kadhim Ali, was implicated in these events by calling in the force. “He was also involved in corruption, impersonation, forgery of official documents and certificates, leading to the confiscation of agricultural lands from their rightful owners,” it added.

The investigation also established that there was “evidence of a flaw in the command and control” inside the PMF with “formations not adhering to military protocols and movements”.

Mr Al Sudani also ordered all suspects to appear before the judiciary, convening a disciplinary board for the PMF’s Al Jazeera Operations commander, and reviewing the deployment and leadership of PMF units to ensure discipline and operational control, it added.

The latest violence came amid a push by Shiite political parties inside parliament to approve new amendments to the existing PMF law, aimed at elevating their role as security forces. The proposed amendments have been condemned by the international community, mainly the US and UK.

The UK’s ambassador to Iraq, Irfan Siddiq, has drawn sharp criticism from Baghdad after questioning the future role of the PMF in the country.

In an interview with a local Iraqi television channel this week, Mr Siddiq acknowledged the improved security situation following the defeat of ISIS, but argued that the PMF’s wartime role should not continue in peacetime.

“Now, we all welcome the security improvement and stability in the country, and this begs the question: what is the future role of Hashid [PMF]?” Siddiq said. “It cannot be the same role during the war against Daesh [ISIS].”

The ambassador also claimed that not all PMF factions follow the orders of the Iraqi Prime Minister, citing the recent actions of Kataib Hezbollah as an example. He described those incidents as “individual actions against the law, against government decisions, and against state forces, why? for personal interests.”

On Sunday, Iraqi Foreign Ministry summoned Mr Siddiq and expressed its "strong objections" to his comments which Iraq "considers to be in violation of diplomatic norms and interference in its internal affairs", it said.

During the fight against ISIS, some of these militias were accused of human rights breaches against civilians in Sunni areas. The Iraqi government and PMF acknowledged these breaches as “individual acts”.

The US has blacklisted several PMF leaders in a bid to increase pressure on Iran's proxies in Iraq, sanctioning senior figures between 2019 and 2021 under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.

Since declaring ISIS defeated in late 2017, the PMF and mainly Tehran-aligned militias have emerged as powerful forces in Iraq and grown more defiant towards the government and opposition groups.