14 Arrested as PMF Fighters Storm Govt Office, Clash With Police in Baghdad
14 arrested after armed PMF fighters stormed a Baghdad govt office, clashing with Federal Police over a land dispute. The Interior Ministry called the state's authority a "red line" and vowed to pursue all perpetrators.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Iraq's Ministry of Interior has arrested 14 suspects after an armed group, identified by a police source as belonging to the Hashd al-Shaabi (PMF), stormed a government building in Baghdad on Sunday, sparking a gun battle with Federal Police that left nine security personnel injured.
The Ministry issued two strongly worded statements vowing to uphold the "authority of the state and the rule of law" as a "red line," while security forces continue to hunt for the remaining perpetrators involved in the brazen daylight assault.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Interior, the "serious incident" occurred Sunday morning at a department of the Ministry of Agriculture in the capital's Karkh district. The chaos unfolded as a new director was assuming his duties, when "an armed group stormed the department building during an administrative meeting, causing a state of panic among the employees."
The Ministry reported that employees immediately called security forces for help. When "detachments from the Federal Police and Karkh rescue patrols rushed to the scene," they "came under direct fire from the armed men."
A source in the Baghdad police confirmed the details to Kurdistan24, identifying the armed group as members of the Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces - PMF) and the other party as the Seventh Brigade of the Federal Police. The police source stated that the clash was over agricultural land and resulted in nine security personnel being injured. The Ministry's statement confirmed "a number of officers and personnel sustaining various injuries."
In its initial statement, the Ministry of Interior announced that security forces had arrested five of the armed men. In a follow-up statement later in the day, the Ministry announced the number of arrested suspects had "risen to fourteen."
The Ministry stressed that "intensive security operations continue in the area, under the direct supervision of senior command, to track down the remaining perpetrators and bring them to justice." It reiterated that its agencies "will not be lenient with any party that attempts to impose a fait accompli by force or threaten state institutions."
This incident is not an isolated event. It follows a previous clash in Karbala where militants from the Jund al-Imam group, a faction within the PMF, confronted a unit of the Iraqi army. That incident reportedly began with an argument and escalated to the PMF faction opening fire on army members before a special force intervened and made arrests.
The recurring clashes occur as the Hashd al-Shaabi continues to receive significant state funding and resources. According to figures provided, the 2024 Iraqi budget allocated three trillion, 868 billion, and 194 million dinars for the salaries of the PMF. This represents an increase of 399 billion and 440 million dinars compared to the previous year. Furthermore, in 2023, an additional 564 billion and 300 million dinars were allocated for the purchase of new weapons and systems for the PMF.
