Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), along with its affiliated factions, marked the fifth anniversary of a US airstrike that targeted Kataib Hezbollah bases in late December 2019.
The commemoration took place amid growing discussions in Iraqi political and public circles regarding the potential restructuring of the PMF and the integration of its members into other military institutions. These talks also include debates about dissolving armed factions associated with the “Axis of Resistance” or the possibility of military strikes against them by Israel.
The US airstrike in December 2019 killed 25 members and wounded 55 others from Kataib Hezbollah, part of the 45th and 46th brigades of the PMF. The strike was in retaliation for an attack on a base in Kirkuk that killed an American soldier.
On this occasion, the PMF and its factions held a “symbolic funeral,” featuring approximately 30 symbolic coffins that were paraded through Baghdad streets, culminating at the Martyr’s Monument east of the capital.
The 2019 airstrike escalated tensions between Washington and the PMF factions. It was followed by violent protests and an attack on the US Embassy in Baghdad by PMF members and affiliated groups. In response, Washington carried out a missile strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force (the external arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps), and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy chief of the PMF.
A source close to the PMF and its factions stated: “The symbolic funeral serves as a reminder of the victims of the US airstrike, reflecting the ongoing hostility between the two sides.”
“There is real concern within the PMF factions about what may come next, given the rapidly evolving regional developments and the fractures within the Axis of Resistance,” the source added.
Separately, the State of Law Coalition, led by Nouri al-Maliki, denied reports of forming a new militia.
“There is no truth to the claims that Nouri al-Maliki is forming an armed faction called ‘Sons of the State’,” a source from the State of Law Coalition stated in a press release.
The source added: “Al-Maliki believes in the importance of relying on official state institutions to safeguard the political system. He is a key architect of the state and the law and remains committed to the security framework of the state.”
This denial follows media reports citing Iraqi sources that claimed al-Maliki was planning to establish an armed group named “Sons of the State” to protect the country from potential future threats.
