Iraq Fires Senior PMF Commanders Over Deadly Attack on Baghdad Agriculture Office

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Iraq’s Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has approved the dismissal of two senior Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) commanders following a deadly armed attack on Baghdad’s Karkh Agriculture Directorate in July, according to an official statement issued Saturday by his spokesperson.

The July 27 incident left several civilians and security personnel dead and injured after an armed unit, allegedly belonging to Hezbollah Brigades within the PMF’s 45th and 46th Brigades, entered the government office without authorization and opened fire. The investigative committee concluded the force had acted without orders, violating military protocols and engaging in clashes with security forces.

The probe also implicated the dismissed Karkh Agriculture Directorate chief, Eyad Kazem Ali, accusing him of coordinating with the armed group ahead of the attack. Investigators said official documents and his administrative file revealed involvement in corruption, forgery of official certificates and contracts, impersonation, and the unlawful seizure of agricultural land.

The findings highlighted a “failure in command and control” within the PMF and the existence of units operating outside established military regulations. Based on the conclusions, al-Sudani approved the following measures:

- Dismissal of the commanders of the 45th and 46th PMF Brigades.
- Launch of an inquiry against the PMF’s al-Jazeera Operations Commander for dereliction of leadership duties.
- Referral of all individuals involved in the incident to the judiciary, along with evidence and criminal exhibits.
- Disciplinary action against those who failed to take prompt legal and security measures.
- Review of unit deployments, composition, and leadership competence through a joint high-level committee.
- Commendation of security personnel who acted with courage during the incident.
- Full rights guaranteed for the victims, including civilian Abbas Ubaid Nahi, to be officially recognized as a martyr with full civil entitlements.

The PMF is an umbrella organization of mostly Shiite paramilitary groups formed in 2014 to help the Iraqi government fight the Islamic State (ISIS) after the group seized large swathes of territory in northern and western Iraq. While the PMF was later formally integrated into Iraq’s security apparatus, many of its factions maintain strong ideological, political, and operational ties to Iran, particularly the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force.

The PMF encompasses a diverse array of units, including Iran-aligned groups such as Kataib Hezbollah, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, and Harakat al-Nujaba, as well as factions with closer ties to Iraqi religious authorities in Najaf. Over the years, several Iran-backed PMF factions have been accused of operating outside government control, conducting unauthorized military activities, and undermining state sovereignty.

These actions have included rocket and drone attacks on U.S. military bases in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, as well as repeated strikes targeting energy infrastructure in the Kurdistan Region, disrupting oil and gas operations. Such incidents have heightened tensions between Baghdad and Erbil, strained Iraq’s relations with Washington, and fueled domestic calls for greater accountability and tighter command structures within the PMF.

This latest development comes amid growing U.S. pressure on Baghdad to halt the passage of a controversial PMF law that would further expand the group’s powers, grant it more autonomy, and potentially entrench the influence of Iran-aligned factions within Iraq’s security framework. Washington has warned that such legislation could undermine Iraq’s sovereignty and destabilize the country’s already fragile political balance.

"Spoke with Iraqi PM Sudani about the recent attacks against oil companies in Iraq, including U.S. companies. We support a prosperous Iraq, free of Iran’s pernicious influence," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in a post on his official X account on July 23.