ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran-backed Harakat al-Nujaba on Sunday demanded the “immediate release” of people arrested by Iraqi authorities over the desecration of a US flag during events marking the end of the US-led coalition mission, describing their actions as freedom of expression.
Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for the commander-in-chief of Iraq’s armed forces, said earlier on Sunday that security forces had arrested those involved in the incident on the orders of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. The government did not clarify how many people had been detained.
Abdul Qader al-Karbalai, Nujaba’s military deputy, said the arrest of youths who had expressed opposition to the United States and Israel by trampling their flags represented “a dangerous precedent that cannot be ignored.”
“Accordingly, we demand the immediate release of the detainees and respect for their right to express their opinions and positions,” Karbalai said.
Karbalai said the detainees had expressed opposition to what he described as US and Israeli “terrorism and criminality,” accusing Washington of killing thousands of Iraqis, plundering the country’s resources and violating its sovereignty.
The dispute comes amid rising tensions between Baghdad and powerful Iran-backed factions just days after the US-led coalition completed its military mission in Iraq. Zaidi has pledged to bring weapons outside state control under government authority by June 30, 2027, while Nujaba and several other influential factions have resisted government efforts to impose a binding disarmament timetable.
The arrests followed an investigation ordered by Zaidi after members of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) were photographed driving vehicles over large US and Israeli flags during a symbolic procession in Baghdad on October 1, a day after the coalition formally ended its military mission in the country.
The government condemned the incident and said respecting the symbols of friendly countries and diplomatic missions was “a legal and diplomatic obligation,” warning that violations would be subject to legal accountability.
The images also drew criticism in the United States. Victoria J. Taylor, director of the Iraq Initiative at the Atlantic Council and a former US deputy assistant secretary of state for Iraq and Iran, said on X that she “winced” when Iraq declared “Sovereignty Days” to celebrate the coalition’s departure, noting that Operation Inherent Resolve had deployed at the Iraqi government’s request to fight the Islamic State (ISIS).
Taylor said she had expected that the celebrations could eventually produce scenes of people walking or driving over a US flag, but criticized the fact that the latest incident involved the PMF, “not just the militias.” She stressed that the images did not represent all Iraqis, but said Baghdad should have done more to prevent what she called “blatant anti-Americanism from the official forces.”
The PMF was formally incorporated into Iraq’s security forces in 2016 and operates under the authority of the commander-in-chief, although the umbrella organization includes powerful Iran-aligned factions with longstanding ties to Tehran.
PMF-affiliated social media accounts published photographs showing vehicles driving over Israeli flags during the procession but did not publish the AFP images showing the US flag being driven over. The event also featured banners depicting people killed in US strikes and the flag of Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
Nujaba has been among the main holdouts in Baghdad’s effort to bring armed factions under state control. Along with Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, it has previously rejected calls to disarm or attached conditions to any agreement with the government. Zaidi initially sought to complete the process by September 30, coinciding with the coalition’s departure, before setting a new deadline of June 30, 2027.
