What to Know About Iraq’s Militias

What the report says

The New York Times World reported in a July 29 article that a series of airstrikes by U.S. and Saudi forces killed at least 20 members of the Popular Mobilization Forces, an Iraqi umbrella organization made up of militias with links to Iran. The article was framed as an explainer on Iraq’s militias, but the publicly available text does not specify the strike locations, the full timeline, the units hit, or whether either government issued a detailed public account of the operation.

The reported deaths matter because the Popular Mobilization Forces, often known by their Arabic initials as the PMF, occupy a sensitive place in Iraq’s security and politics. By way of general background, the PMF emerged as a major force during the fight against the Islamic State after 2014, and it includes factions with differing command structures and political relationships. Some groups have close ties to Iran, while the broader organization has also been incorporated into Iraq’s formal security architecture.

That dual identity has long complicated Iraq’s relations with Washington, Tehran and regional Arab governments. Strikes involving U.S. and Saudi forces against PMF fighters could increase pressure on Iraq’s government, intensify debate over militia autonomy, and add to wider regional tensions involving Iran-aligned armed groups. Because the available source material is limited, further details on the targets, legal justification, and immediate response from Iraqi officials should be treated as pending additional reporting.