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Iraqi militias defy government, expand networks and pressure

Militias in Iraq are increasing their activities in response to the government's efforts to rein them in.
Supporters of Hashed al-Shaabi, an Iraqi paramilitary network dominated by Iran-backed factions, wave the Hashed flag as they stand under the national flag during a protest denouncing comments made by Kurdish ex-minister and to show their support to the paramilitary network in the southern Iraqi city of Basra on October 17, 2020. - Hashed supporters burned down the main Kurdish party's headquarters in Baghdad after criticism from a Iraq's Former Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari. Hundreds of Hashed demonstrat

A group of pro-Iran militias in Iraq attacked the headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) on Oct. 17, setting the building on fire and raising the flag of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU).

This comes in reaction to an Oct. 2 statement by Hoshyar Zebari, a former finance minister and foreign minister, who said that Baghdad's Green Zone where most government buildings and foreign ministries are located “should be cleansed from the militias and the PMU presence.”

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