Iraqi prime minister removes paramilitary commanders after deadly clash with police
Gunmen descended on the agricultural directorate in Baghdad's Karkh district on July 27 and clashed with federal police. The raid came after the former head of the directorate was ousted and a new one appointed.
A government-commissioned investigation found that the former director — who was implicated in corruption cases — had called in members of the Kataib Hezbollah militia to stage the attack, Sabah Al-Numan, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, said in a statement Saturday.
Al-Sudani, who also serves as commander in chief of the armed forces, ordered the formation of a committee to investigate the attack.
Kataib Hezbollah is part of the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of mostly Shiite, Iran-backed militias that formed to fight the Islamic State extremist group as it rampaged across the country more than a decade ago.
The PMF was formally placed under the control of the Iraqi military in 2016, but in practice it still operates with significant autonomy. Some groups within the coalition have periodically launched drone attacks on bases housing U.S. troops in Syria.
The Kataib Hezbollah fighters who staged the attack in Karkh were affiliated with the 45th and 46th Brigades of the PMF, the government statement said.
Al-Sudani approved recommendations to remove the commanders of those two brigades, refer all those involved in the raid to the judiciary, and open an investigation into 'negligence in leadership and control duties' in the PMF command, it said.
The report also cited structural failings within the PMF, noting the presence of formations that act outside the chain of command.
The relationship between the Iraqi state and the PMF has been a point of tension with the United States as Iraq attempts to balance its relations with Washington and Tehran.
The Iraqi parliament is discussing legislation that would solidify the relationship between the military and the PMF, drawing objections from Washington, which considers some of the armed groups in the coalition, including Kataib Hezbollah, to be terrorist organizations.
In an interview with The Associated Press last month, Al-Sudani defended the proposed legislation, saying it's part of an effort to ensure that arms are controlled by the state. 'Security agencies must operate under laws and be subject to them and be held accountable,' he said.
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Newsweek
21 minutes ago
- Newsweek
What Russia and Ukraine Are Demanding Ahead of Putin-Trump Alaska Meeting
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. With President Donald Trump's face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin looming, there are still unanswered questions about how Ukraine will be involved, and whether the Republican can find a way to bridge the still-substantial distance between Kyiv and Moscow on a ceasefire deal. Trump said he would meet Putin in Alaska on August 15 for a "highly anticipated" summit. It will be the first time the Republican has met the Kremlin chief in person of his second term in office. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed the meeting, saying on Saturday that the White House and the Kremlin would be "working vigorously hard" on the summit's agenda in the next few days. "The presidents will undoubtedly focus on discussing ways to reach a sustainable settlement to the Ukraine crisis," Ushakov said. The Trump administration is considering inviting Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, U.S. media reported on Saturday. Many months of talks on a ceasefire deal for Ukraine have failed to yield an agreement inked by both Kyiv and Moscow. Ukraine agreed to a U.S. proposal in March, and Trump—historically reluctant to overly criticize Putin—has grown increasingly frustrated with the Kremlin chief. U.S. President Donald Trump, right, meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7, 2017. U.S. President Donald Trump, right, meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7, 2017. AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File What Does Trump Want? Trump, often known for to-and-froing, has been consistent in his calls for an end to the largest conflict on European soil since World War II. A substantial part of his foreign policy has been shaped by his desire to be known as both a dealmaker and a peacemaker. As Moscow increased its aerial assaults on Ukraine in recent months, Trump became more critical of the Kremlin, saying Putin was giving the White House "a lot of b*******." Trump has warmed to Ukraine since the infamous White House meeting with Zelensky in February, during which the president, along with several senior administration officials, berated the Kyiv leader in front of the world's cameras. But as Russia's reluctance to sign a deal continued, Trump greenlet more aid for Ukraine, including air defense supplies to defend the country from Russian attacks, and imposed a deadline of "10 or 12 days" for Russia to agree to a ceasefire deal in early August. This window closed on Friday, but the White House did not appear to institute new economic sanctions on Russia as threatened. "Putin is not interested in a true ceasefire," said Oleksandr Merezhko, the chair of Ukraine's parliamentary foreign affairs committee and a member of Zelensky's party. "He is using negotiations with Trump for only one purpose—to avoid serious sanctions, including secondary sanctions against those countries which buy Russian oil and gas," he told Newsweek. Russia's oil and gas industry is crucial to the country's economy, and Moscow was slapped with sanctions by Ukraine's backers after it launched its full-scale invasion of its neighbor in early 2022. Kyiv has also targeted Russian oil and gas facilities with long-range drone strikes in an attempt to curb the Kremlin's access to the resources propping up its military. Secondary sanctions target third-party buyers of Russian exports, like India and China. Trump became embroiled in a war of words with Russia's former President, Dmitry Medvedev, and deployed two U.S. Navy nuclear submarines after "highly provocative" statements from Medvedev. The former president is currently the deputy chair of Russia's Security Council and well-known for his inflammatory social media commentary. Where Does Ukraine stand? Ukrainian officials frequently say they are seeking an end to the war, but one that does not reward Russia or open the door for Moscow to restart attempts to seize territory from Kyiv. Ukraine has repeatedly said that ceding Ukrainian territory to Russia is off the table. It goes against the country's constitution, Zelensky said again over the weekend. "No one will deviate from this—and no one will be able to," Zelensky said in a post to messaging app Telegram on Saturday. "Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier." Ukraine has consistently said it needs security guarantees, and not to be bound by any limits on the size of its military. Kyiv also does not want to be labeled a neutral state, but one firmly on the path to NATO and European Union membership. Ukraine's memorandum, presented by Kyiv officials during rounds of direct talks with a Russian delegation in Turkey earlier this summer, also said it sought a "full and unconditional ceasefire in the sky, on land and at sea." Furthermore, Kyiv has said an agreement needs to look at humanitarian issues, such as an exchange of all prisoners and the return of children taken from Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine. And Russia's Perspective? Russia's demands have remained far away from what Ukraine appears willing to accept. During direct talks in Istanbul in June, Russia offered up two proposals for a 30-day ceasefire. "The first one is about how to reach a truly lasting peace," Vladimir Medinsky, Russia's chief negotiator, said at the time. "The second part highlights the steps to be taken toward a real ceasefire." One option would have Kyiv withdraw from the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, collectively known as the Donbas, as well as the southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine. Russia declared it had annexed these four mainland Ukrainian regions in fall 2022. It does not fully control these regions, although it has captured much of Luhansk and Donetsk. Moscow annexed Crimea, to the south of the mainland, from Kyiv in 2014. The alternative, Russia said, would be for Ukraine to stop building up its military and halt military aid deliveries, while lifting martial law and opening up to elections. Elections are banned in Ukraine while martial law is in place. A more comprehensive peace agreement would come later, Moscow said, adding no foreign military personnel should be allowed in Ukraine. Russia has pushed for the recognition of its control over the annexed regions, and for Ukraine to abandon its hopes of joining NATO in favor of neutrality. Moscow has also said it wants Kyiv to limit the size of its military and put the Russian language on equal footing with Ukrainian. How Does Europe Fit In? The U.K., France, Italy, Germany, Poland, Finland, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen issued a joint statement on Sunday, reiterating their support for the "principle that international borders must not be changed by force." "We share the conviction that a diplomatic solution must protect Ukraine's and Europe's vital security interests," the governments said. European leaders have offered a "counterproposal" following a meeting between Putin and Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, The Wall Street Journal reported. This European plan rejected the idea Ukraine would cede territory it still holds in Donetsk and was presented to the U.S. on Saturday, according to the report.
Forbes
21 minutes ago
- Forbes
Shaheds For What? Russia Drone Deal May Have Given Iran Seller's Remorse
Russia's Iranian-designed propeller-driven Shahed-136 one-way explosive-laden attack drones have repeatedly targeted Ukraine's cities for just under three years straight. Russia has modified them to an extent that Shahed-136s hitting Ukraine's cities today are in many ways—from their engines to warheads and even their color—distinct from the models Russia began using against Ukraine in late 2022. Today, Iran reportedly regrets aspects of the arrangement, especially since Russia has shown an increased capability to manufacture and modify its Shaheds independently. Russia launched a record-breaking 6,129 attacks against Ukraine using Shahed-type drones this July, up from 5,337 attacks in June. On July 9 alone, Russia targeted Ukraine with 728 drones. Not content with these large-scale bombardments, Moscow aims to strike Ukraine with a single salvo of 2,000 Shahed drones! Such enormous barrages are made possible by Russia's localized production of Shahed-136s at the Alabuga Special Economic Zone over 600 miles east of Moscow. Iran permitted Russia to produce these drones as part of a $1.75 billion deal reached in early 2023. As early as February 2023, Shahed debris uncovered in Ukraine contained multipurpose warheads suitable for attacks against larger infrastructure targets like the Ukrainian electricity grid. Later that year, Shaheds appeared with conspicuously new black coatings, paint containing carbon that makes them more difficult for radar to detect. Most recently, much faster, high-flying jet-powered Shaheds are forcing Ukraine to expend its most advanced surface-to-air missiles. Tehran has some severe seller's remorse since Moscow has localized almost 90 percent of its Shahed production and made these more sophisticated versions with limited Iranian input, according to a CNN report published on Friday. Additionally, Russia is expanding its production facilities so that it can churn out even more drones. These developments, coupled with the lack of substantial support it received from Russia during its 12-day war against Israel in June, have frustrated Iran. Iran officially denies it sold Russia any military drones since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine started in February 2022, admitting only to selling Moscow some drones before the war. In reality, Tehran delivered several Shaheds via sea and air and supplied Russia with extensive technology transfers since early in the war. The 2023 contract initially envisaged the production of 6,000 Shaheds at Alabuga by September 2025, which Russia reached well ahead of schedule. The scale of its localized drone production exceeded initial expectations and also significantly lowered the per-unit cost of these drones for Moscow. What Iran is getting in return for this valuable assistance is far from clear. Reports of Shahed-136 transfers in 2022 led to speculation that Iran would receive the Su-35 Flanker fighter jets it had ordered before the war, possibly as part of a barter arrangement. Many speculated that a batch of two dozen factory-fresh Flankers Moscow had initially built for Egypt would now go to Iran. However, Russia recently delivered some of them to Algeria, suggesting that's not the case, or that Iran will ultimately receive fewer than 24. Iranian journalist Saeed Azimi reported in 2023 that Tehran had ordered and paid for 50 Su-35s by 2021 but never received a single one. To date, Russia has only delivered Iran a small number of subsonic Yak-130 trainer jets. A report released by the Center for Advanced Defense Studies in May 2025 revealed that Russia has paid Iran in gold bars in return for its assistance in building this enormous new drone industry. The report uncovered at least $104 million worth of gold bars delivered as part of a contract between Alabuga and the sanctioned Tehran-based Sahara Thunder. Interestingly, CNN's Friday report mentions that Sahara Thunder has complained about payments not being made. It's unclear whether Iran only sought gold in return for this military support. While hundreds of Iranian-designed drones rain down on Ukrainian cities every night, not a single new Russian-supplied Su-35 was available to defend Iranian airspace in the face of Israel's unrelenting aerial bombardments in June. Consequently, Tehran's reported frustration with the limited returns it's getting from its arrangement with Moscow is hardly surprising. 'From Russia's unfulfilled promises to deliver defense systems like the S-400 and Su-35 fighter jets, to repeated delays in military cooperation, all suggest that this partnership is not based on mutual trust, but rather on opportunistic, short-term interests,' lamented an Aug. 5 editorial in an Iranian reformist daily. Western intelligence sources cited in CNN's report also dubbed Russian cooperation with Iran as 'purely transactional and utilitarian.' Which leads one to question what, if anything, Iran is getting from all of this. Some analysts anticipate that Russia may eventually re-export its improved Shaheds back to Iran. However, there aren't yet any indications Moscow will do so. On the other hand, there are indications that Russia is providing North Korea the ability to manufacture Shaheds locally in return for Pyongyang's extensive support for the war effort against Ukraine. Moscow has also delivered a medium-range Pantsir-S1 air defense missile system to Pyongyang and may soon supply its vintage air force with fourth-generation MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters. The CNN report also briefly speculated that a July 11 flight of a Gelix Airlines Ilyushin Il-76 may have contained components for an S-400 system, although that hasn't bee confirmed. Incidentally, such speculation comes almost exactly a year after reports indicating Russia begun delivering unspecified air defense equipment to Tehran. Whatever might have been in that delivery, it did not prevent Israel from striking Iran's existing S-300 systems last Oct. 26 nor even hinder its unprecedented June air campaign. While much remains unclear, it's certainly plausible that Iran feels it has gotten the short end of the stick in its military-technical cooperation with Russia.
Boston Globe
2 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Netanyahu defends his planned military offensive in Gaza
The goals there, he said, include demilitarizing Gaza, the Israeli military having 'overriding security control' there and a non-Israeli civilian administration in charge. The prime minister also said he had directed Israel's military in recent days to 'bring in more foreign journalists' — which would be a striking development as they have not been allowed into Gaza beyond military embeds. Netanyahu again blamed many of Gaza's problems on the Hamas militant group, including civilian deaths, destruction and shortages of aid. Advertisement THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP's earlier story follows below. Mounted Israeli policemen attempted to disperse demonstrators organized by the families of the Israeli hostages outside the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv on Saturday, August 9. JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — At least 26 Palestinians were killed while seeking aid in the Gaza Strip, hospitals and witnesses said, as families of Israeli hostages called for a general strike to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plans to expand military operations in the territory. Netanyahu is scheduled to give a press conference for foreign and local media later Sunday amid international condemnation of his plans. His address will come just before the United Nations Security Council holds an emergency meeting on Israel's plan to take control of Gaza City. Advertisement Hospital officials said they received bodies from areas where Palestinians were seeking aid — either along food convoy routes or near privately run aid distribution points across Gaza. The dead include 10 who were killed while waiting for aid trucks close to the newly built Morag corridor which separates the southern cities of Rafah and Khan Younis, said Nasser hospital. A further six people were killed while waiting for aid in northern Gaza near the Zikim crossing, according to the Gaza Health Ministry and the Shifa hospital in Gaza City which received the casualties. In central Gaza, witnesses said they first heard warning shots before the fire was aimed toward crowds of aid seekers trying to reach a food distribution site operated by Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. AP cannot independently confirm who fired the shots. The Awda hospital in the nearby Nuseirat refugee camp said four people were killed by Israeli gunfire. 'First, it was in the air, then they started to fire at the people,' said Sayed Awda, who waited hundreds of meters (yards) from the GHF site in the area. Six other aid seekers were killed while trying to reach GHF sites in Khan Younis and Rafah, Nasser hospital said. The U.S. and Israel backed the foundation months ago as an alternative to the U.N.-run aid system, but its early operations have been marred by deaths and chaos, with aid-seekers coming under gunfire near the routes leading to the sites. Responding to Associated Press inquiries, the GHF media office said: 'There were no incidents at or near our sites today and these incidents appear to be linked to crowds trying to loot aid convoy.' Advertisement Israel's military also said there were no incidents involving Israeli troops near central Gaza aid sites. Seven people were killed in airstrikes, local hospitals reported — three people near the fishermen's port in Gaza City and four people, two of them children, in a strike that hit a tent in Khan Younis. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strikes, but has accused Hamas of operating from civilian areas. A man carried a bag of food as displaced Palestinians raided trucks with humanitarian aid in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Saturday, August 9. -/AFP via Getty Images Hunger deaths mount, toll among children hits 100 Israel's air and ground offensive has displaced most of the population and pushed the territory toward famine. Two more Palestinian children died of malnutrition-related causes on Saturday, bringing the death toll among children in Gaza to 100 since the war began. A total of 117 adults have died of malnutrition-related causes since late June when the ministry started to count this age category, it said. The toll from hunger isn't included in the ministry's death toll of 61,400 Palestinians in the war. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals, doesn't distinguish between fighters or civilians, but says around half of the dead have been women and children. The U.N. and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on war casualties. A protest in Tel Aviv on Saturday, August 9. Demonstrators rallied in support of hostages. JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images Labor strike urged in Israel over looming Gaza City offensive The prospect of expanding the war has sparked outrage both internationally and within Israel, where bereaved families and relatives of hostages still held in Gaza urged companies to declare a general strike next week. Tens of thousands of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday night in what local media called one of the largest anti-government protests in recent months. The families and their supporters hope to pressure the government to reverse its decision to take over Gaza City, warning that expanding the war will endanger their loved ones. Advertisement Of the 251 people abducted when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200, around 50 remain in Gaza, with 20 Israel believed to be alive. Lishay Miran-Lavi, whose husband Omri is among the hostages, also appealed to U.S. President Donald Trump and special envoy Steve Witkoff to halt the war. 'The decision to send the army deeper into Gaza is a danger to my husband, Omri. But we can still stop this disaster,' she said. Also Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz toured the northern part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. He said Israel's military would remain in the area's refugee camps at least until the end of the year. Approximately 40,000 Palestinians have been driven from their homes this year in the West Bank's largest displacement since Israel captured the territory in 1967. Israel says the operations are needed to stamp out militancy, as violence by all sides has surged since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack ignited war in Gaza. Katz on Sunday said the number of warnings about attacks against Israelis in the West Bank had decreased by 80% since the operation began in January. Metz reported from Jerusalem and Magdy from Cairo. Associated Press writer Melanie Lidman contributed from Tel Aviv, Israel.
