PMF figure detained in Baghdad raid

Shafaq News- Baghdad (Updated at 9:15)

A prominent member of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) was arrested at his home in Baghdad, a security source told Shafaq News on Monday.

Iraq’s security forces detained Abu Jaafar, a member of the PMF Chief of Staff Office, during a morning raid. The circumstances surrounding his arrest remained unclear.

Later, three people affiliated with the PMF were also arrested in the Baladiyat area of eastern Baghdad. The reasons for their detention were not immediately available.

The group had not yet commented on either incident.

An umbrella organization of predominantly Shiite armed groups, the PMF was formally incorporated into Iraq’s state security apparatus in 2016. The role and autonomy of some of its factions, however, have remained a source of political controversy.