Iraq: Four Brigades Break Away from PMF Command

A view of a market in Baghdad, EPA
A view of a market in Baghdad, EPA
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Iraq: Four Brigades Break Away from PMF Command

A view of a market in Baghdad, EPA
A view of a market in Baghdad, EPA

Iraqi caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi ordered taking control of four Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) combat brigades that fall under the religious authority in Najaf and Karbala.

The four brigades will now fall under the “command and management” of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and no longer under the direct command of the Iran-allied PMF board.

The four brigades include the 2nd, 11th, 26th, and 44th brigades of the PMF, which are all loyal to Iraq’s highest Shiite religious authority.

The four brigades were created in June 2014 following a fatwa, or religious call to action, from Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, in response to the ISIS insurgency.

In mid-March, a delegation representing the four brigades met with the Minister of Defense Najah Al-Shammari, stressing their keenness on "the unity of Iraq and the independence of its decision."

It was reported at the time that the four brigades were willing to join the Ministry of Defense.

There are frequent reports on Sistani’s concern with the nature of tasks undertaken by the PMF after the war with ISIS has come to an end. Many divisions have risen in the 60-paramilitary umbrella as some factions have pledged their loyalty to Iraq’s highest religious authority and others to the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

In the past years, several differences have emerged between the PMF and religious authorities in Iraq. Many of the divisions involve financial and military issues.

Iraqi political expert Hisham al-Hashemi sees that Abdul-Mahdi’s decision to take over the four brigades is part of the great disputes between PMF leader Abdulaziz al-Mohammedawi , also known as Abu Fadak, and the PMF factions loyal to Iraq’s religious authority.

“This settlement means the administrative and operational disengagement of the four brigades from the PMF,” AL-Hashemi told Asharq Al-Awsat.



Aoun Condemns Attempts to Drag Lebanon Anew into Violence

FILED - 17 January 2025, Lebanon, Baabda: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a press conference at Baabda Palace. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa
FILED - 17 January 2025, Lebanon, Baabda: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a press conference at Baabda Palace. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa
TT

Aoun Condemns Attempts to Drag Lebanon Anew into Violence

FILED - 17 January 2025, Lebanon, Baabda: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a press conference at Baabda Palace. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa
FILED - 17 January 2025, Lebanon, Baabda: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a press conference at Baabda Palace. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned on Saturday Israel’s attempts to drag Lebanon once again into the endless “spiral of violence”, following Israeli claims that it had intercepted three missiles launched from south Lebanon.
A statement released by the Lebanese Presidency said that Aoun called for "avoiding any repercussions and ensuring control over any violations that could endanger the nation during these sensitive times."
Aoun has directed the Army Commander, General Rodolphe Haikal, to “take all necessary field measures to ensure the safety of citizens and conduct investigations regarding the incident”, added the statement.
Also in a statement, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, asked the Lebanese military to take all necessary measures in the south, but said the country did not want to return to war.
He reaffirmed that “only the state holds the authority to decide on matters of war and peace."
The Prime Minister also contacted Janine Plasschaert, the UN Secretary-General's Personal Representative in Lebanon, during which he urged the United Nations to "intensify international pressure on Israel to fully withdraw from the occupied Lebanese territories”.
He emphasized that Israel’s “occupation violates UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and the ceasefire arrangements established by the previous government in November, to which Lebanon remains committed".

On Saturday, Israeli artillery and airstrikes hit south Lebanon after Israel said it had intercepted rockets fired from across the border, a clash endangering a shaky truce that ended a year-long war between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

That conflict marked the deadliest spillover of the Gaza war, rumbling across the border for months before escalating into a blistering Israeli offensive that wiped out Hezbollah's top commanders, many of its fighters and much of its arsenal.