Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF)

Iraqi militias raise new conditions for disarmament, Iraq takes 'wait-and-see' approach - analysis

If the groups refuse to disarm, Iraq will take a wait-and-see approach, with many saying that they already gave up weapons to the PMF, while also being part of these forces.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Mourners attend the funeral of Haider al-Moussawi, head of the security unit in the Shi'ite armed group Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, and senior Hezbollah figure Abu Ali Khalil, who were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Tehran, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Baghdad, Iraq, June 22, 2025.
Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi speaks during a parliamentary session to vote in a new government headed by Ali al-Zaidi as prime minister, at the parliament headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, May 14, 2026.

Iraq appears to delay militia disarmament as Iran-backed factions pressure Baghdad - analysis

Now Iraq appears to be backtracking on the deadline for placing militia weapons under state control.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iranian Kurdish fighters from the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) take part in a training session at a base on the outskirts of Erbil, Iraq February 12, 2026.

Iran's attack on Kurdistan may signal new phase in Tehran's regional drone warfare - analysis

Iran’s drone strike on the Kurdistan Region may showcase new capabilities while warning Erbil and Washington that Tehran is willing to redraw regional red lines.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi delivers a televised address after assuming office, in Baghdad, Iraq May 16, 2026.

Iraq seeks Saudi, Syrian ties as it faces pressure to rein in Iran-backed militias - analysis

Iraq’s militias have threatened US forces and Israel in the past. They have kidnapped journalists and carried out hundreds of attacks on the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

State Dept. designates four Iran-backed Iraqi militias as Foreign Terrorist Orgs.

The State Department designated Hakarat al-Nujaba, Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, Hakarat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya, and Kataib al-Imam Ali, all part of the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces.

SEPTEMBER 18, 2025ByJAMES GENN
Mourners attend the funeral of Haider al-Moussawi, head of the security unit in the Shi'ite armed group Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, and senior Hezbollah figure Abu Ali Khalil, who were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Tehran, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Baghdad, Iraq, June 22, 2025.

New drone strike near Erbil adds to growing attacks on Kurdistan region - analysis

A drone crashed near Makhmour in the latest attack on Iraq’s Kurdistan region, as officials blame Iran-aligned groups for a wave of 22 strikes.

JULY 30, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Smoke rises after a drone attack targeted oil facilities in the Zakho area of Iraq's Kurdistan region, Iraq July 16, 2025.