Popular Mobilization Forces reaffirm subordination to Iraqi army chief

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) reiterated its allegiance to the Chief of Staff of the Iraqi Armed Forces and said its units remain deployed across multiple regions of the country. Speaking at a press conference at the Chief of Staff's office in Baghdad, PMF Media Director Muhannad al-Akbari described the paramilitary umbrella as the first state-aligned structure to declare a sovereignty day and to back the withdrawal of international coalition forces. Akbari welcomed the planned September 30 withdrawal as a government achievement and called for celebrations on that date. He said PMF units are conducting security operations in the deserts of Karbala and Najaf and have dismantled Islamic State hideouts and remnants in the Makhul mountains. Akbari confirmed that divisions within the PMF continue to separate from the broader organization, a process he said is under way particularly with Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Saraya Salam. He added that the resistance formations still retain weight inside Iraq's security institutions. No further details on the restructuring timeline were given.