PM ousts Kataib Hezbollah-linked PMF fighters after probe

Shafaq News – Baghdad

Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief Mohammed Shia al-Sudani confirmed on Saturday the removal of Kataib Hezbollah members from the Popular Mobilization Forces’ (PMF) 45th and 46th Brigades after an investigation linked them to the July 27 assault on the Al-Karkh Agriculture Directorate.

Spokesman Sabah al-Numan said the inquiry found that fighters from the two brigades entered the government building without authorization, breached military protocols, and opened fire on security personnel, killing and injuring both officers and civilians.

Investigators also determined that the dismissed Al-Karkh Agriculture Directorate chief, Iyad Kadhim Ali, coordinated with the unit beforehand. According to al-Numan, Ali has a record of administrative corruption, impersonating officials, forging documents, and arranging fraudulent contracts to illegally seize farmland.

Acting on the committee’s findings, al-Sudani ordered a separate military probe into the PMF’s Al-Jazira Operations Command for “negligence,” directing that all suspects be referred to the judiciary with full supporting evidence.

Al-Numan stressed that violations of PMF regulations will face immediate, uncompromising action, calling for a thorough review of unit deployments, operational procedures, and leadership performance by the relevant ministries and senior security officials.

This decision comes amid growing domestic and international pressure to disarm non-state groups and curb the influence of armed factions operating outside Iraq’s formal security institutions.