ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The leader of one of Iraq’s powerful pro-Iran armed groups was shown trampling a US flag in footage shared on Sunday, in an apparent act of defiance after Iraqi authorities arrested several people over a similar incident during events marking the withdrawal of American troops from the country.
The undated footage was shared by an X account dedicated to publishing statements and posts from Akram al-Kaabi, leader of Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba.
In the footage, Kaabi is seen walking over the US and Israeli flags laid on the ground while surrounded by members of Nujaba. A pyrotechnic device behind him emits smoke as he walks across the flags.
The post carried the Arabic hashtag #إجرامكم_تحت_اقدامنا ("Your crimes are under our feet").
Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for the commander-in-chief of Iraq’s armed forces, said on Sunday that security forces had arrested those involved in trampling the US flag during the country’s “Sovereignty Day” events, acting on orders from Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. The government did not disclose how many people were detained.
The arrests came after US lawmaker Joe Wilson shared images of the flag desecration on X and described Iraq as an “Iranian province.”
The images were later widely shared on social media, including by 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.
Abdul Qader al-Karbalai, Nujaba’s military deputy, subsequently demanded the “immediate release” of the detainees, describing their actions as an expression of their opposition to the United States and Israel and saying the arrests constituted “a dangerous precedent that cannot be ignored.”
Nujaba has accused the United States of killing thousands of Iraqis, plundering the country’s resources and violating Iraq’s sovereignty. Karbalai repeated those accusations in his statement calling for the detainees’ release.
Kaabi’s footage emerged after the Iraqi government said respecting the symbols of friendly countries and accredited diplomatic missions was “a legal and diplomatic obligation” and warned that those responsible for violations would face legal accountability.
Zaidi had ordered an investigation after members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) were photographed driving vehicles over large US and Israeli flags during a symbolic procession in Baghdad on Thursday, a day after the US-led coalition’s military mission in Iraq formally ended.
The dispute comes amid broader tensions between Zaidi’s government and powerful Iran-aligned armed factions over Baghdad’s push to bring weapons outside state control under government authority.
The government initially sought to resolve the weapons issue by September 30, alongside the end of the coalition mission, but subsequently set June 30, 2027 as the new deadline. Several factions have disputed that they agreed to the timetable.
Nujaba has been among the Iran-aligned factions resisting government efforts to place their weapons fully under state authority.
Some Iran-aligned factions have attached conditions to bringing their weapons under state control, including the withdrawal of foreign troops and what they describe as an end to US influence over Iraq’s financial decision-making.
Other demands raised during negotiations have included the removal of Iranian Kurdish opposition groups and the dissolution of the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga forces.
The PMF was formally incorporated into Iraq’s state security structure in 2016 and operates under the authority of the commander-in-chief, although it includes powerful factions closely aligned with Iran. Nujaba fighters have operated within the PMF’s 12th Brigade.
