PMF initiates operation “Imposing Sovereignty” across Iraqi deserts

Shafaq News- Najaf/ Karbala

Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) launched on Tuesday, a security operation across desert areas in Najaf and Karbala in central Iraq, aimed to secure the remote region.

Ali al-Hamdani, commander of Middle Euphrates operations within the PMF, noted that the operation, titled “Imposing Sovereignty,” will span more than 120 kilometers. It involves explosive ordnance disposal teams, intelligence units, and supporting formations.

Search and clearance activities extend from the al-Fajj checkpoint toward the Nukhayb district and continue to the Arar border crossing with Saudi Arabia, he added.

Israeli newspaper Maariv previously reported that Israel operated a secret military base in Iraq’s western desert during the 2026 conflict with Iran, deploying commando teams, emergency medical units, and Special Forces to the area. Iraq later dismissed the reports, maintaining that no evidence of foreign troops or military equipment has been found.