Latest news with #KataibHezbollah
Shafaq News
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
EXCLUSIVE: US concerned over Baghdad clash
Shafaq News – Baghdad The United States expressed deep concern on Tuesday over the deadly July 27 clash in Baghdad's al-Dora district between Iraqi security forces and Kataib Hezbollah, a powerful faction within the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). In an exclusive statement to Shafaq News, State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce denounced the actions of Iran-backed groups operating under the PMF, including those designated as terrorist organizations by the US. 'These groups continue to engage in unlawful, destabilizing, and violent activities that undermine Iraq's sovereignty and threaten regional stability,' Bruce warned, urging the Iraqi government to 'bring these perpetrators and their leaders to justice without delay.' She also extended condolences to the families of the victims killed in the exchange. Earlier, Iraq's Joint Operations Command reported that the confrontation began when armed Kataib Hezbollah affiliates stormed the Ministry of Agriculture office in al-Dora over a leadership dispute, prompting resistance from supporters of the outgoing official and triggering gunfire. The shootout injured twelve people, including ministry staff and police, and led to the arrest of fourteen suspects tied to Kataib Hezbollah, who were referred to the judiciary. On Monday, the US Embassy in Baghdad directly accused Kataib Hezbollah of leading Sunday's armed standoff at the ministry's office. Kataib Hezbollah denied involvement, described the incident as 'regrettable,' and blamed the escalation on internal security force tensions, claiming an officer named Omar al-Obaidi fired the first shots.
Asharq Al-Awsat
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Washington Holds Kataib Hezbollah Responsible for Attack on an Iraqi Govt Building
The US embassy in Iraq accused on Monday the pro-Iran Kataib Hezbollah group of being behind the attack on an Agriculture Ministry building in Baghdad as a new director was being sworn in. A group of fighters from the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) carried out the attack, said the Interior Ministry. The Kataib Hezbollah are part of the PMF. At least one police officer was killed and 14 PMF fighters have been arrested. The embassy offered its condolences to the families of the victims, 'who were killed by Kataib Hezbollah, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States.' Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani chaired an emergency security meeting on Sunday to address the situation. Sudani stressed the need to uphold the law and protect state institutions. No leniency should be shown in the case, he added, urging investigations to uncover how the perpetrators were able to carry out the attack. He called for bringing them to justice. 'No one is above the law,' he declared, demanding that the probe be held according to professional standards. Forces within the pro-Iran Shiite Coordination Framework held an emergency meeting to also discuss the attack. Informed sources said the meeting 'gave Sudani the green light to pursue the perpetrators.' Information that has emerged in the past 24 hours revealed that the attack stemmed from disputes between armed factions and local powers over agricultural territory in the al-Dora region south of Baghdad. The disputes culminated in the sacking of the old director, who is affiliated with Kataib Hezbollah. The new director is affiliated with another armed faction, leading to the clash between the two parties and the police and security forces intervening.
Shafaq News
a day ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Kataib Hezbollah denies role in Baghdad shootout, blames 'foreign plot'
Shafaq News – Baghdad Kataib Hezbollah, a powerful faction within Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), denied any involvement in Sunday's deadly clashes in Baghdad's al-Dora district, rejecting claims by Iraq's Joint Operations Command that its fighters were responsible for storming a government building and confronting security forces. In a statement, the group described the incident as 'regrettable' and blamed the violence on a dispute between security units under the Commander-in-Chief's authority. It said the confrontation stemmed from a standoff between supporters of an outgoing agriculture official and those of a newly appointed director, which escalated after 'a rash and unjustified' decision by an officer identified as Omar al-Obaidi to open fire. Kataib Hezbollah claimed that the gunfire led to casualties, prompting those under attack to call for help. According to the group, a team of supporters from a nearby location near al-Saqr military base responded without official coordination to evacuate the wounded, but were met with 'indiscriminate fire' from government forces. The group further accused security units of detaining and publicly displaying photos of individuals who had no connection to the original incident. 'These scenes lacked all sense of responsibility,' the statement said, crediting intervention by lawmakers and members of the parliamentary security committee for defusing the crisis. Kataib Hezbollah asserted it was not a party to the clash and warned that 'this escalation serves only the enemies of Iraq.' It blamed 'malicious agendas,' external actors, and foreign influence—explicitly naming the US embassy—for attempting to sow discord among Iraq's armed institutions. Reiterating its stance, the group said, 'We remain committed to our firm position of ending the foreign occupation of Iraq, regardless of the cost.' The group also expressed regret over the loss of life, attributing the fallout to 'confusion and coordination failures' among government forces—failures it claimed were exploited by foreign elements embedded within Iraq's joint operations framework. ( #قناة_النجباء_الفضائية — قناة النجباء الفضائية (@NujabaTv) July 28, 2025 The denial comes in direct contradiction to official statements issued yesterday by Iraq's Joint Operations Command and the Interior Ministry. Authorities said that fighters from PMF Brigades 45 and 46—both affiliated with Kataib Hezbollah— raided a Ministry of Agriculture office in al-Dora and engaged in a gunfight with state security personnel. Earlier today, the US Embassy in Baghdad directly blamed Kataib Hezbollah for the deadly shootout, calling on the Iraqi government to take measures to bring these perpetrators and their leaders to justice without delay.
The National
a day ago
- Politics
- The National
Public fury in Iraq after clashes between militia and security forces
Public anger is mounting in Iraq after deadly clashes between security forces and gunmen from an Iran -backed militia in Baghdad left two dead, with calls growing to disarm the groups or bring them firmly under state control. The violence was sparked when fighters stormed a government building to forcibly reinstate a dismissed director general in southern Baghdad. Security forces responded, triggering a gun battle that killed a policeman and taxi driver who were caught in the crossfire, security authorities said. At least 15 fighters have been arrested by the security forces, according to authorities. They are affiliated with the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) – an umbrella group formed in 2014 to fight ISIS. It is composed mainly of Iran-backed Shiite militias and is integrated into Iraq's armed forces. The fighters belong to the powerful Tehran-aligned Kataib Hezbollah, which is part of the PMF, a security official said. The Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani, who is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, has ordered an investigation on the 'circumstances surrounding the incident and how the armed force moved without orders or proper approvals, attempted to take control of a government building and opened fire on security forces', according to a statement. In its own statement, the PMF said it would not 'tolerate any violation by any individual to the orders of security protocols'. It didn't give details on the incident or the measures that will be taken. The Co-ordination Framework, a political group consisting of mainly Iran-backed Shiite political parties and armed factions, and the main backer for Mr Al Sudani, denounced the incident in an emergency meeting. 'It is a breach of the law and state protocols,' it said in a statement, expressing its support for government measures to 'establish security, enforce the law, and preserve the state authority'. The Siyada coalition, which is led by the Sunni tycoon Khamis Al Khanjar, warned of the 'dangers of unregulated arms and outlaw groups,' accusing them of illegally seizing lands in southern Baghdad and causing 'demographic change' by driving out Sunni families. 'We have long warned that the Iraqi state cannot achieve true stability and sustainable development as long as these unregulated and illegal arms are moving freely,' it added. Ordinary Iraqis have expressed deep anger and frustration over the growing impunity of armed factions. For many, the latest violence is not just an isolated incident but a reflection of a broader collapse in state authority. 'This wasn't just a gunfight, it was an assault on the state,' a Baghdad shop owner in the area where clashes took place told The National on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisals. 'The fact that an armed group can storm a public office and challenge a government appointment with weapons is proof that we've lost control,' the 62-year-old father of three added. During the fight against ISIS, some of these militias were accused of human rights breaches against civilians in Sunni areas. The Iraqi government and PMF acknowledged these breaches as 'individual acts'. The US has blacklisted several PMF leaders, including its chairman Falih Al Fayyadh, in a bid to increase pressure on Iran's proxies in Iraq, sanctioning senior figures between 2019 and 2021 under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. Mr Al Fayyadh is an ally of Mr Al Sudani and is set to run in parliamentary elections in November with him. After declaring ISIS defeated in late 2017, the PMF and mainly Tehran-aligned groups morphed into a major political and military power, growing more defiant towards the government and opposition groups. Since then, they have launched attacks against US troops in Iraq as well as in Syria, where they fought alongside Bashar Al Assad's forces in its civil war. The latest clashes came amid a push by Shiite political parties inside parliament to approve new amendments to the existing PMF law that would elevate their role as security forces. The new amendments were among the main issues discussed by the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Mr Al Sudani in a phone call last week. Mr Rubio 'reiterated serious US concerns' with the PMF, emphasising that 'any such legislation would institutionalise Iranian influence and armed terrorist groups undermining Iraq's sovereignty,' spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in a statement. The US embassy on Monday called on the Iraqi government to 'take measures to bring these perpetrators and their leaders to justice without delay,' in a statement on X. 'Accountability is essential to upholding the rule of law and preventing further acts of violence,' it added. While officially part of Iraq's security apparatus under the control of the commander-in-chief, many of its factions maintain parallel chains of command and are widely believed to answer to Tehran. A photograph of the dead taxi driver was widely circulated on social media. Bullets ripped through his car when he passed by. 'His image is a grim symbol of a country held hostage by unaccountable militias,' the shop owner said. 'He was trying to earn a living,' he added. 'He didn't belong to any party or faction, and yet he paid for this power struggle. That picture is Iraq. We are all trapped in this chaos.'
Shafaq News
a day ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
US blames Kataib Hezbollah for Baghdad shootout
Shafaq News – Baghdad The US Embassy in Baghdad has directly blamed Kataib Hezbollah, a powerful faction within Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), for a deadly shootout that erupted Sunday at a Ministry of Agriculture office in the capital's southern al-Dora district. On X, the embassy offered condolences to the families of those killed—identified as a federal police officer and a civilian—while blaming Kataib Hezbollah, which the United States designates as a terrorist organization, for the attack. 'We call on the Iraqi government to take measures to bring these perpetrators and their leaders to justice without delay,' the embassy said, stressing that accountability is critical to upholding the rule of law and preventing future violence. نُقدم تعازينا لعوائل الضحايا الذين قُتلوا على يد "كتائب حزب الله"، وهي منظمة إرهابية مصنفة من قبل الولايات المتحدة وتندرج ضمن قوات الحشد الشعبي، وذلك في 27 تموز/يوليو في إحدى دوائر وزارة الزراعة في بغداد. نشعر بالحزن لفقدان الأرواح، والذي شمل عنصر من الشرطة الاتحادية ومدني بريء،… — U.S. Embassy Baghdad (@USEmbBaghdad) July 28, 2025 Responding to the fallout, the PMF Commission—responsible for overseeing the network of brigades under its command—issued a statement on Sunday pledging full cooperation with the investigation. It emphasized that the PMF operates under state authority and would not shield any member acting outside legal bounds. 'The PMF was established to serve the Iraqi nation in coordination with official security institutions,' the statement read. 'Any deviation from this mandate is a violation of both law and principle.' A Kataib Hezbollah member speaking to AFP said the group did not seek to escalate the situation and would defer to Iraq's judiciary.
