Baghdad
Iraqi news channels and pages circulated reports early today claiming that an unidentified security force arrested a member of the Popular Mobilization Forces (Hashd al-Shaabi), known as Sayyed Dhargham Abu Ragheef.
According to these reports, the arrest was linked to his participation in Baghdad’s “Sovereignty Day” celebrations, where videos showed the American and Israeli flags being trampled, while Hashd military vehicles drove over a U.S. flag in Tahrir Square.
The reports also claimed that Prime Minister al-Zaidi ordered the formation of an investigative committee over what was described as the “insult” to the American flag during celebrations marking the expulsion of U.S. forces from Iraq.
This comes after the Pentagon announced on September 30, 2026, the completion of the U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq and the end of Operation Inherent Resolve after 12 years, under the Baghdad-Washington agreement. The Iraqi government described the move as the beginning of a “new phase” based on full sovereignty.
The incident is not the first of its kind. Several Hashd commanders and members have reportedly faced arrests during the current year.
In August 2026, the Hashd Media Directorate announced that a number of its members had been handed over to the Hashd Security Directorate “to follow up on their cases with the judiciary.” Other reports said that a joint force from the Counter-Terrorism Service and intelligence agencies arrested four members, including a commander known as Abu Jaafar, from his home in Baghdad.
Harsh judicial sentences have also previously been issued against a number of Hashd members accused of targeting U.S. forces.
These arrests are raising serious questions, particularly among supporters of the resistance: Who exactly is ordering these arrests, and how can political forces that hold a parliamentary majority — and campaigned under the images of martyrs and resistance slogans — preside over what critics describe as one of the most U.S.-aligned governments in Iraq since Iyad Allawi?
Some political circles believe that such measures are intended to win Washington’s approval and send signals of loyalty in the post-withdrawal phase — even at the expense of political allies and their own popular base.