ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s state-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) announced Sunday the arrest of 45 suspects and the dismantling of several networks linked to the banned Ba’ath party, state security information leaks, and organized crime in operations across 12 provinces.
In a statement, the PMF attributed 23 arrests to links with the Ba’ath party, six to “leaking state security information,” five to organised crime, four to “terrorism charges,” and the remaining seven to “ties to extremist movements.”
“All arrests were carried out pursuant to official judicial warrants and in accordance with established legal procedures,” the statement added, encouraging citizens to cooperate “with security forces” and report any “suspicious activity or wanted individuals.”
In addition to Article 7 of the Iraqi Constitution, Iraqi Law No. 32 of 2016 explicitly criminalizes membership and activity in the Ba’ath party.
The Ba’ath party ruled Iraq from July 1968 to April 2003, when it was ousted by a US-led invasion.
According to the article, violations carry severe prison sentences, ranging from up to 10 years in prison for joining or promoting the party, to life imprisonment or the death penalty for those who attempt to organize cells, finance party operations, or overthrow the political system under its banner.
The arrests come amid a constitutional dispute over the operations launched by the armed groups outside state control.
Although the PMF, which consists of more than 70 Shiite-led factions, is organized as a separate military unit under the authority of the Iraqi prime minister, Article 9 of the Iraqi Constitution prohibits armed forces from engaging in domestic political affairs or conducting law-enforcement operations reserved for the Iraqi Ministry of Interior and the National Security Service.
The Iraqi Council of Ministers submitted a long-stalled, 18-article PMF bill aimed at complementing the 2016 law, which consists of three provisions and leaves many crucial operational and structural details unaddressed.
The spokesperson for the Iraqi government, Sabah al-Numan, told Rudaw on Sunday that the Iraqi legislature will discuss the PMF bill “in the coming period.“
However, he noted that the bill “has absolutely no connection” to the postponed goal of Baghdad to disarm and reorganize the armed groups.
Operating under the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, Iran-backed factions initially had to lay down their weapons on September 30, a date which coincided with the scheduled departure of the US-led Global Coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS). The government subsequently set mid-July 2027 as a new deadline for the process.
