Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ali Al-Zaidi ordered four Interior Ministry officers removed from their posts and an investigation into their “failure” to prevent Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) members from “desecrating” the US flag during Sovereignty Day celebrations.

An October 21 document obtained by Shafaq News, signed by the director of the Commander-in-Chief’s Office, General Abdul Amir Al-Shammari, identified the officers as Brigadier General Dawood Salman Dawood Hassan, commander of the Second Security Zone; Brigadier General Riyadh Jizan Rasan Salloum of Baghdad’s Rusafa Police Command; Colonel Dhulfiqar Awda Kitab, commander of the Fifth Rusafa Emergency Regiment; and Lieutenant Colonel Mustafa Saleh Muhaidi, the regiment’s intelligence officer.

The document described the incident as “damaging” to Iraq’s international relations and directed Baghdad’s Rusafa Police Command to strengthen field supervision and maintain a security presence during demonstrations, celebrations, and other public gatherings.

On October 4, Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief spokesperson Sabah Al-Numan announced the arrest of individuals involved in the incident.