PMF supporters storm MBC Baghdad office for labelling slain commander ‘terrorist’
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Dozens of Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) supporters stormed the office of Saudi-owned MBC television channel in Baghdad Monday, in response to a program aired last week which they claim insults the memory of slain PMF commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
The rioters appear to be proponents of the PMF, a predominantly Shiite militia network also known as Hashd al-Shaabi in Arabic. The group takes issue with the MBC program’s accusation that al-Muhandis killed Syrian poet Nizar al-Qabbani’s wife in a 1981 bombing of the Iraqi embassy in Beirut, and its identification of the former deputy head as a ‘terrorist.’
Muhandis was killed in a US airstrike in Baghdad early January, alongside Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander Qasem Solaimani and several PMF fighters when guided missiles hit a convoy at Baghdad International Airport.
According to videos circulating on social media, the Hashd supporters chanted “death to al-Saud,” while storming the studios. They allegedly vandalised the space, leaving slogans on the walls, including “this is the revenge of al-Muhandis” and “hashd remains”.
Al-Saud is a reference to Saudi Arabia’s royal family, the House of Saud, named after the founder of the state.
The MBC group released a statement on Monday condemning the attack on its Baghdad Office, and called on the security forces and Iraqi government to detain the responsible people for the storm.
“MBC Group condemns the attack against its studios of "MBC Iraq" in Baghdad and places the matter in the custody of the competent authorities and security forces,” the statement reads. “The storm resulted in severe material damage to property.”
Born as Jamal Jaafar al-Tamimi to an Iraqi father and Iranian mother, Muhandis ("the engineer") had been dubbed the "shadow Prime Minister of Iraq" due to his influence and strong backing of Iran, enabling the influence and power of Tehran in a country plagued with wars.
Loyal to the Iranian regime, Muhandis described himself as "soldier of Sulaimani," in a July 2016 documentary for Iran national TV, in reference to the then IRGC leader.
Hashd al-Shaabi was created in 2014 following a fatwa, or religious call to action, from Iraq’s highest Shiite authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, in response to the Islamic State (ISIS) insurgency.
Although the PMF has been brought under the umbrella of the official Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), and measures have been taken to fully integrate the units into Iraq’s military apparatus, the PMF continues to act independently, while some units within the organization are directly under the command of the IRGC.
On Friday, the head of Hashd al-Shaabi, Falih al-Fayyadh, released a statement condemning the MBC program’s depiction of Muhandis, saying he has officially recorded a legal complaint against the MBC group.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranked Iraq near the bottom of its Press Freedom index in 2019.
Last month, Baghdad temporarily revoked the credentials of Reuters and fined the outlet more than $20,000 in retaliation for a report claiming COVID-19 cases have been drastically underreported. The suspencion has since been lifted.
Media outlets have also been subject to restrictions following the widespread protests which began in October of last year. Various agencies reporting on the demonstrations, in which hundreds of protesters were killed, were subject to closure, intimidation and attack.
Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission’s (CMC) issued an order on November 21 to suspend the operating license of nine television channels and the warning of others for covering the protests in the streets.
Rudaw Media Network was one the outlets which received warning letters from the Iraqi government for its coverage of the anti-government protests in Iraq.
The rioters appear to be proponents of the PMF, a predominantly Shiite militia network also known as Hashd al-Shaabi in Arabic. The group takes issue with the MBC program’s accusation that al-Muhandis killed Syrian poet Nizar al-Qabbani’s wife in a 1981 bombing of the Iraqi embassy in Beirut, and its identification of the former deputy head as a ‘terrorist.’
Muhandis was killed in a US airstrike in Baghdad early January, alongside Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander Qasem Solaimani and several PMF fighters when guided missiles hit a convoy at Baghdad International Airport.
According to videos circulating on social media, the Hashd supporters chanted “death to al-Saud,” while storming the studios. They allegedly vandalised the space, leaving slogans on the walls, including “this is the revenge of al-Muhandis” and “hashd remains”.
Al-Saud is a reference to Saudi Arabia’s royal family, the House of Saud, named after the founder of the state.
The MBC group released a statement on Monday condemning the attack on its Baghdad Office, and called on the security forces and Iraqi government to detain the responsible people for the storm.
“MBC Group condemns the attack against its studios of "MBC Iraq" in Baghdad and places the matter in the custody of the competent authorities and security forces,” the statement reads. “The storm resulted in severe material damage to property.”
Born as Jamal Jaafar al-Tamimi to an Iraqi father and Iranian mother, Muhandis ("the engineer") had been dubbed the "shadow Prime Minister of Iraq" due to his influence and strong backing of Iran, enabling the influence and power of Tehran in a country plagued with wars.
Loyal to the Iranian regime, Muhandis described himself as "soldier of Sulaimani," in a July 2016 documentary for Iran national TV, in reference to the then IRGC leader.
Hashd al-Shaabi was created in 2014 following a fatwa, or religious call to action, from Iraq’s highest Shiite authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, in response to the Islamic State (ISIS) insurgency.
Although the PMF has been brought under the umbrella of the official Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), and measures have been taken to fully integrate the units into Iraq’s military apparatus, the PMF continues to act independently, while some units within the organization are directly under the command of the IRGC.
On Friday, the head of Hashd al-Shaabi, Falih al-Fayyadh, released a statement condemning the MBC program’s depiction of Muhandis, saying he has officially recorded a legal complaint against the MBC group.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranked Iraq near the bottom of its Press Freedom index in 2019.
Last month, Baghdad temporarily revoked the credentials of Reuters and fined the outlet more than $20,000 in retaliation for a report claiming COVID-19 cases have been drastically underreported. The suspencion has since been lifted.
Media outlets have also been subject to restrictions following the widespread protests which began in October of last year. Various agencies reporting on the demonstrations, in which hundreds of protesters were killed, were subject to closure, intimidation and attack.
Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission’s (CMC) issued an order on November 21 to suspend the operating license of nine television channels and the warning of others for covering the protests in the streets.
Rudaw Media Network was one the outlets which received warning letters from the Iraqi government for its coverage of the anti-government protests in Iraq.