Over a dozen have been arrested following a clash that killed several, including a civilian and an Iraqi police officer
News Desk - The Cradle
“We offer our condolences to the families of the victims who were killed by Kataib Hezbollah, a US-designated terrorist organization within the Popular Mobilization Forces, on July 27 at a Ministry of Agriculture department in Baghdad,” the US Embassy in Iraq said in a statement.
“We are saddened by the loss of life, which included federal police and an innocent civilian, and wish a swift recovery to the wounded. We call on the Government of Iraq to take measures to bring these perpetrators and their leaders to justice without delay. Accountability is essential to upholding the rule of law and preventing further acts of violence,” it added.
Three people were killed on Sunday when a gunfight broke out in Baghdad between members of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) and Iraqi security forces.
PMU fighters stormed a Ministry of Agriculture building in Baghdad during the appointment of a new director, according to Iraq’s Interior Ministry. The PMU fighters reportedly wanted to block the replacement of the former director.
Iraqi media reports said the dispute began between members of two armed factions and escalated after police and security forces intervened and were fired at.
A statement from Iraq’s Joint Operations Command, which reports to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, said the 14 detained fighters have been referred to the judiciary.
They reportedly hail from PMU Brigades 45 and 46, which are said to be closely linked to Kataib Hezbollah.
AFP cited sources saying one Kataib Hezbollah member was killed and six were wounded. One civilian and a police officer were also killed. A Kataib Hezbollah member was cited as saying that the group does “not want to escalate.”
“No one has the right to take the place of the state or its authorities. There is no entity above the law,” Sudani said.
The PMU is a coalition of armed factions that are integrated into Iraq’s military structure. Many of the groups in the PMU fought ISIS and resisted the 2003 US invasion of the country.
Among the groups represented in the PMU are Kataib Hezbollah, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, and the Al-Nujaba Movement – resistance factions involved in the attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria, which began after the start of the Gaza war and ended months later with the help of Iraqi government pressure.
Last year, the US launched heavy strikes on Kataib Hezbollah sites in Iraq in response to the killing of three soldiers in a drone strike on a US military base on the Syria–Jordan border.
Washington has reportedly threatened renewed attacks against Iraq if resistance factions linked to Iran are not disarmed.
Sudani held a phone call on 23 July with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. During the call, Rubio expressed “serious US concerns” about a draft law aiming to further institutionalize the PMU.
Sudani and Rubio also discussed the mysterious drone attacks that have recently targeted oil installations in the Kurdistan region. Around 20 attacks have targeted oil fields in the area in recent weeks, including some operated by US firms.
Authorities in northern Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region have accused the PMU of being behind the drone attacks.
Iraq's National Security Advisor (NSA) Qasim al-Araji arrived in the city of Erbil on 28 July at the head of a high-level security delegation tasked with investigating the drone attacks.
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