Shafaq News – Baghdad

The Ansar al-Marjaiya Brigade, part of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), announced on Saturday its support for Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s campaign to reform the force’s structure and discipline.

In a statement, the brigade reaffirmed its commitment to the 2014 fatwa by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani that led to the PMF’s creation to confront ISIS. It pledged to fully cooperate with committees assigned by al-Sudani to review deployments, ensure compliance with orders, and assess performance from commanders to rank-and-file fighters, stressing that it is religiously and legally bound to implement the committees’ findings.

Earlier today, al-Sudani confirmed the removal of Kataib Hezbollah members from the PMF’s 45th and 46th Brigades, following an investigation linking them to the July 27 attack on the Al-Karkh Agriculture Directorate in Baghdad. He vowed “immediate and uncompromising” action against any breach of PMF regulations and ordered a sweeping review of unit operations and leadership. 

The measures come amid growing pressure at home and abroad to limit the influence of armed groups operating outside Iraq’s official security framework.