Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani has approved the dismissal of two senior commanders in the paramilitary Popular Mobilisation Forces after clashes with police at a government building left several people dead in July, his office said on Saturday.
A government investigation found the commanders were linked to the Kataib Hezbollah militia, which staged the attack in the Iraqi capital, and the Prime Minister has also ordered the prosecution of those involved, the government said.
Mr Al Sudani, who is Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, described the attack as “heinous” and vowed there would be “no tolerance” for armed groups defying state authority.
The violence began when the Kataib Hezbollah fighters stormed a building of the Karkh Agriculture Directorate in the south of Baghdad, to forcibly reinstate a dismissed director general.
Security forces responded, sparking a gun battle that killed a policeman, a taxi driver, and at least one other person, authorities said.
At least 15 fighters have been arrested, according to authorities. They all are affiliated with the PMF – an umbrella group formed in 2014 to fight ISIS. It is composed mainly of Iran-backed militias, including Kataib Hezbollah, and has been integrated into Iraq's armed forces.
The investigation determined that fighters from the PMF’s 45th and 46th brigades – both affiliated with Kataib Hezbollah – “moved without orders or approvals, contrary to military protocols, leading to martyrs and wounded, including civilians”, said the statement.
It also found that the dismissed director, Eyad Kadhim Ali, was implicated in these events by calling in the force. “He was also involved in corruption, impersonation, forgery of official documents and certificates, leading to the confiscation of agricultural lands from their rightful owners,” it added.
The investigation also established that there was “evidence of a flaw in the command and control” inside the PMF with “formations not adhering to military protocols and movements”.
Mr Al Sudani also ordered all suspects to appear before the judiciary, convening a disciplinary board for the PMF’s Al Jazeera Operations commander, and reviewing the deployment and leadership of PMF units to ensure discipline and operational control, it added.
The latest violence came amid a push by Shiite political parties inside parliament to approve new amendments to the existing PMF law, aimed at elevating their role as security forces. The proposed amendments have been condemned by the international community, mainly the US and UK.
The UK’s ambassador to Iraq, Irfan Siddiq, has drawn sharp criticism from Baghdad after questioning the future role of the PMF in the country.
In an interview with a local Iraqi television channel this week, Mr Siddiq acknowledged the improved security situation following the defeat of ISIS, but argued that the PMF’s wartime role should not continue in peacetime.
“Now, we all welcome the security improvement and stability in the country, and this begs the question: what is the future role of Hashid [PMF]?” Siddiq said. “It cannot be the same role during the war against Daesh [ISIS].”
The ambassador also claimed that not all PMF factions follow the orders of the Iraqi Prime Minister, citing the recent actions of Kataib Hezbollah as an example. He described those incidents as “individual actions against the law, against government decisions, and against state forces, why? for personal interests.”
On Sunday, Iraqi Foreign Ministry summoned Mr Siddiq and expressed its "strong objections" to his comments which Iraq "considers to be in violation of diplomatic norms and interference in its internal affairs", it said.
During the fight against ISIS, some of these militias were accused of human rights breaches against civilians in Sunni areas. The Iraqi government and PMF acknowledged these breaches as “individual acts”.
The US has blacklisted several PMF leaders in a bid to increase pressure on Iran's proxies in Iraq, sanctioning senior figures between 2019 and 2021 under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.
Since declaring ISIS defeated in late 2017, the PMF and mainly Tehran-aligned militias have emerged as powerful forces in Iraq and grown more defiant towards the government and opposition groups.
Sheikh Zayed's poem
When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.
Your love is ruling over my heart
Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it
Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home
You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness
Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins
You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge
You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm
Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you
You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it
Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.
Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition
Expert input
If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?
“There are a few shoes that have ‘grail’ status for me. But the one I have always wanted is the Nike x Patta x Parra Air Max 1 - Cherrywood. To get a pair in my size brand new is would cost me between Dh8,000 and Dh 10,000.” Jack Brett
“If I had all the money, I would approach Nike and ask them to do my own Air Force 1, that’s one of my dreams.” Yaseen Benchouche
“There’s nothing out there yet that I’d pay an insane amount for, but I’d love to create my own shoe with Tinker Hatfield and Jordan.” Joshua Cox
“I think I’d buy a defunct footwear brand; I’d like the challenge of reinterpreting a brand’s history and changing options.” Kris Balerite
“I’d stir up a creative collaboration with designers Martin Margiela of the mixed patchwork sneakers, and Yohji Yamamoto.” Hussain Moloobhoy
“If I had all the money in the world, I’d live somewhere where I’d never have to wear shoes again.” Raj Malhotra
French Touch
Carla Bruni
(Verve)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SPECS
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Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
Superliminal%20
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The most expensive investment mistake you will ever make
When is the best time to start saving in a pension? The answer is simple – at the earliest possible moment. The first pound, euro, dollar or dirham you invest is the most valuable, as it has so much longer to grow in value. If you start in your twenties, it could be invested for 40 years or more, which means you have decades for compound interest to work its magic.
“You get growth upon growth upon growth, followed by more growth. The earlier you start the process, the more it will all roll up,” says Chris Davies, chartered financial planner at The Fry Group in Dubai.
This table shows how much you would have in your pension at age 65, depending on when you start and how much you pay in (it assumes your investments grow 7 per cent a year after charges and you have no other savings).
|
Age
|
$250 a month
|
$500 a month
|
$1,000 a month
|
|
25
|
$640,829
|
$1,281,657
|
$2,563,315
|
|
35
|
$303,219
|
$606,439
|
$1,212,877
|
|
45
|
$131,596
|
$263,191
|
$526,382
|
|
55
|
$44,351
|
$88,702
|
$177,403
|
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Result
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Man City: Jesus (39), David Silva (41)
Match info
Liverpool 4
Salah (19'), Mane (45 2', 53'), Sturridge (87')
West Ham United 0
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Who is Ramon Tribulietx?
Born in Spain, Tribulietx took sole charge of Auckland in 2010 and has gone on to lead the club to 14 trophies, including seven successive Oceania Champions League crowns. Has been tipped for the vacant New Zealand national team job following Anthony Hudson's resignation last month. Had previously been considered for the role.
THE%20SWIMMERS
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