ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US Congressman Joe Wilson on Sunday accused Iraq of effectively being under Iranian control after members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) were seen walking and driving over US flags during events marking the withdrawal of American forces from the country.
“The PMF, an official division of the Iraqi government’s security services, is seen desecrating the U.S. flag out of disrespect and praising the murderous regime in Iran,” Wilson, a Republican and vocal critic of Tehran’s influence in Iraq, said in a post on X.
Wilson also shared photos showing PMF forces driving over a US flag during a symbolic funeral procession in Baghdad on Thursday that honored those killed in US-Israeli attacks and marked the withdrawal of the US-led coalition from Iraq.
Photos published by AFP show vehicles, including military vehicles, driving over US and Israeli flags during the ceremony.
Rudaw English could not find photos on the PMF’s social media accounts showing the US flag being desecrated during the event, although the PMF published images showing the Israeli flag being desecrated.
The PMF also displayed the flag of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement. Hezbollah, which has been significantly weakened by Israeli attacks, is part of the Iran-aligned so-called Axis of Resistance, which also includes several Iraqi armed groups operating under the PMF umbrella.
“If you needed any more proof that Iraq is an Iranian province… Iraqi PM [Ali] Zaidi, is this what you think of America? Free Iraq from Iran,” Wilson said.
Victoria Taylor, director of the Iraq Initiative at the Atlantic Council and a former US deputy assistant secretary of state for Iraq and Iran, also criticized the desecration, saying she had been uneasy about Baghdad declaring “Sovereignty Days” to mark the departure of US troops and the end of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR).
“When Iraq declared ‘Sovereignty Days’ to celebrate the departure of US troops and end of Operation Inherent Resolve, I winced. The OIR mission was present in Iraq at the request of the Iraqi government to fight ISIS,” Taylor said on X.
“I just knew there would eventually be some event where people were walking or driving over the flag and here it is. This time by the Popular Mobilization Forces, not just the militias,” she added.
Taylor stressed that the actions did not represent all Iraqis but criticized Baghdad for failing to prevent what she described as anti-American conduct by forces formally operating under the Iraqi state.
The criticism came after Iraq marked the end of the US-led coalition’s military mission in the country, with PMF supporters and members of Iran-aligned factions holding celebrations in Baghdad.
The US-led coalition deployed to Iraq in 2014 at Baghdad’s request to help Iraqi forces fight the Islamic State (ISIS), which had seized large parts of the country. ISIS was territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017, but coalition forces remained in an advisory and support role.
The PMF was formally incorporated into Iraq’s security forces in 2016 and operates under the authority of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, although the umbrella organization includes powerful Iran-aligned factions with longstanding ties to Tehran.
Wilson has repeatedly criticized Iranian influence in Iraq and called on Baghdad to rein in Tehran-aligned armed groups.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said this week that some armed factions had committed to addressing the issue of weapons in accordance with the constitution and a government timetable, while calling on the remaining groups to follow suit.
The government has set June 30, 2027, as the deadline for bringing weapons outside state control under government authority.
