ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — At least 11 fighters from Iraq's state-sponsored Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, Hashd al-Shaabi in Arabic) were killed in an ambush by the Islamic State (ISIS) group north of the capital on Saturday, AFP reported. ISIS militants attacked PMF forces east of Tikrit after dark, using light weaponry, according to AFP. Iraq’s Security Media Cell also confirmed the attack on its Telegram channel. Heavy fighting took place between the PMF and ISIS in the al-Eith area of Saladin province, according to PMF channels on Telegram. A PMF commander in the province, Abu Alia al-Hasnawi, a leader in the Badr Organization, was among those killed in the clashes. The PMF was created in 2014 when Sistani issued a fatwa (a religious call to action) urging young Iraqis to take up arms against ISIS. The loose coalition of militia groups was formally recognized as an Iraqi armed force by the parliament in 2016, enjoying similar privileges as the Iraqi Army. Since the territorial defeat of ISIS in Iraq in late 2017, the role of the PMF has increasingly been called into question, with demands to withdraw units garrisoned in northern areas and to fully integrate them into the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF). Others have fought to maintain the PMF’s autonomy in order to allow it to continue carrying out the military objectives of its backer, Iran. PMF units close to Iran are widely accused of abducting and killing protesters during Iraq's recent wave of anti-government unrest. They are also believed responsible for a spate of deadly rocket attacks targeting US and coalition personnel stationed at bases across Iraq, most recently on Friday night. Sistani-affiliated units, meanwhile, are not known to have fired on protesters, have a generally better human rights record in areas they occupy, and are not implicated in the targeting of foreign troops and infrastructure. The United States Department of Treasury has sanctioned senior PMF leader Falih al-Fayyadh "for his connection to serious human rights abuse," the Treasury said in a statement on January 8th. This was followed by sanctions on Abu Fadak al-Mohammedawi, chief of staff of the Iran-backed PMF, who was added on January 13 to the US’ Specially Designated Nationals And Blocked Persons List of "individuals and companies owned or controlled by, or acting for or on behalf of, targeted countries."
