Calm Returns to Baghdad after PMF Commander’s Arrest

Iraqi armed forces in Baghdad (Reuters)
Iraqi armed forces in Baghdad (Reuters)
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Calm Returns to Baghdad after PMF Commander’s Arrest

Iraqi armed forces in Baghdad (Reuters)
Iraqi armed forces in Baghdad (Reuters)

Calm returned to Baghdad after a long night of unrest as the Iraqi military leadership closed some of the capital’s entrances and positioned units in the streets near the fortified Green Zone.

On Wednesday, the army deployed units with armored vehicles and tanks, after the arrest of Qasem Muslah, Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) operations chief for Anbar province, which sparked widespread reactions.

Muslah was detained based on a judicial investigation and arrest warrant on terrorism charges, Iraq's military said in a statement.

Shortly after the arrest, a number of armed factions loyal to Iran roamed the streets of Baghdad in a failed show of force and to pressure the authorities to release Muslah.

Many protesters welcomed the arrest, given that Muslah was accused of being involved in the assassination of activists in Karbala. He is also accused of missile attacks on Ain al-Asad military base in Anbar.

Muslah has been a controversial figure, especially in Karbala. He was an associate of religious authority, Abdul Mahdi al-Karbalai, and after 2003, he was in charge of the security of the city’s religious shrines.

He was then sacked over accusations of corruption and abuse. He joined the PMF after 2014 and assumed the leadership of the group’s operations in Anbar.

During the cabinet meeting on Wednesday evening, Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi described the show of force as a “serious violation of the constitution.”

Former PM Haider al-Abadi warned against such practices, saying that either the state moves to impose order and sovereignty, or it crumbles.

Abadi rejected in a tweet all forms of transgression, bullying, and rebellion, warning that sedition and chaos are disastrous. He stressed that “no one is above the law and accountability.”

Leader of the Iraqis coalition Ammar al-Hakim stressed in reference to Muslah’s arrest that the judicial orders apply to everyone.

Hakim tweeted that “all Iraqis are equal in terms of legal accountability, and the decisions of state institutions must be respected.”

Later Wednesday, the PMF leadership directed its units at the Green Zone to withdraw.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Special Representative for Iraq Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said that any arrest case should run its course, as goes for any Iraqi, adding that nobody should resort to a show of force to get their way.

"Such behavior weakens the Iraqi state and further erodes public trust. State institutions must be respected at all times. Nobody is above the law," she said on Twitter.

The UK Embassy in Baghdad announced its full support for the government's investigation into the actions of armed groups.

“Iraqis have called for a state where those who break the law are held to account. No one should use force and threats to impede criminal investigations. Democracy rests on respect for the rule of law,” announced the embassy in a tweet.

On Thursday, the US National Security Council expressed unwavering support for Kadhimi.

The council tweeted: “We strongly support PM Kadhimi & Govt of Iraq’s commitment to uphold rule of law & pave the way for free & fair elections. Anyone who targets Iraqi citizens must be investigated pursuant to Iraqi laws. We condemn those who seek to undermine Iraq’s stability with acts of violence.”



Aid Trucks Move from Egypt to Gaza after Israel Said it Began Airdrops

Palestinians carry sacks of flour unloaded from a humanitarian aid convoy that reached Gaza City from the northern Gaza Strip, Saturday, July 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians carry sacks of flour unloaded from a humanitarian aid convoy that reached Gaza City from the northern Gaza Strip, Saturday, July 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
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Aid Trucks Move from Egypt to Gaza after Israel Said it Began Airdrops

Palestinians carry sacks of flour unloaded from a humanitarian aid convoy that reached Gaza City from the northern Gaza Strip, Saturday, July 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians carry sacks of flour unloaded from a humanitarian aid convoy that reached Gaza City from the northern Gaza Strip, Saturday, July 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Aid trucks started moving towards Gaza from Egypt, the Egyptian state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV said on Sunday, after months of international pressure and warnings from relief agencies of starvation spreading in the Palestinian enclave.

Israel said that it began aid airdrops to Gaza on Saturday and was taking several other steps to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, reported Reuters.

The Israeli military said "humanitarian corridors" would be established for safe movement of United Nations convoys delivering aid to Gazans and that "humanitarian pauses" would be implemented in densely populated areas.

Dozens of trucks carrying tons of humanitarian aid moved towards the Karam Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing in southern Gaza, the Al Qahera correspondent said from the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza.

International aid organizations say there is mass hunger among Gaza's 2.2 million people, with food running out after Israel cut off all supplies to the territory in March, before resuming it in May with new restrictions.

Israel says it has let enough food into Gaza and accuses the United Nations of failing to distribute it. The United Nations says it is operating as effectively as possible under Israeli restrictions.

Israel's announcement on airdrops came after indirect ceasefire talks in Doha between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas were broken off with no deal in sight.

The Israeli military said in a statement that the airdrops would be conducted in coordination with international aid organizations and would include seven pallets of aid containing flour, sugar, and canned food.

Palestinian sources confirmed that aid had begun dropping in northern Gaza.

Israel's foreign ministry said the military would "apply a 'humanitarian pause' in civilian centers and in humanitarian corridors" on Sunday morning. It provided no further details.

The Israeli military said in its Saturday statement that the Israeli army “emphasizes that there is no starvation in the Gaza Strip; this is a false campaign promoted by Hamas”.

"Responsibility for food distribution to the population in Gaza lies with the UN and international aid organizations. Therefore, the UN and international organizations are expected to improve the effectiveness of aid distribution and to ensure that the aid does not reach Hamas."

AID SHIP INTERCEPTED

The Israeli military stressed that despite the humanitarian steps, "combat operations have not ceased" in the Gaza Strip.

Separately, international activists on an aid ship that set sail from Italy en route to Gaza said in a post on X that the vessel had been intercepted.

The Israeli foreign ministry said on X that naval forces "stopped the vessel from illegally entering the maritime zone of the coast of Gaza," that it was being taken to Israeli shores and all passengers were safe.

The UN said on Thursday that humanitarian pauses in Gaza would allow "the scale up of humanitarian assistance" and said Israel had not provided enough route alternatives for its convoys hindering aid access.

Dozens of Gazans have died of malnutrition in the past few weeks, according to the Gaza Health Ministry while 127 people have died due to malnutrition, including 85 children, since the start of the war, which began nearly two years ago.

On Wednesday, more than 100 aid agencies warned that mass starvation was spreading across the enclave.

The military also said on Saturday that it had connected a power line to a desalination plant, expected to supply daily water needs for about 900,000 Gazans.

Israel launched its assault on Gaza after Hamas-led fighters stormed Israeli towns near the border, killing some 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages on October 7, 2023. Since then, Israeli forces have killed nearly 60,000 people in Gaza, health officials there say, and reduced much of the enclave to ruins.