PMF cancels anniversary events after deaths of Iranian commanders in Israeli strikes

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces announced Friday the cancellation of all planned events commemorating the group’s founding anniversary following the deaths of several top Iranian military commanders in Israeli airstrikes.

“The General Directorate of Media announces the cancellation of all activities related to the celebration of the Popular Mobilization Forces anniversary, which were scheduled to begin tomorrow, due to the martyrdom of several heroic commanders in the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the PMF said in a statement.

The decision came after Israeli military strikes on June 13 killed senior figures in Iran’s armed forces, including Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces; and Gholam Ali Rashid, commander of the IRGC’s Khatam Al-Anbia Central Headquarters.

The PMF, a coalition of mostly Shia militias, was formed on June 13, 2014, in response to a fatwa by Iraq’s top Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, calling for armed resistance against the Islamic State. The group was ostensibly integrated into Iraq’s armed forces in 2016, but many of its factions continue to operate with significant autonomy.

Debate over the future of the PMF has intensified in recent months, particularly following the collapse of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and growing questions over Iran’s regional influence. The PMF remains a central player in Iraq’s security and political landscape.