Armed Forces has ordered the dismissal of four Interior Ministry officers and the formation of an investigative committee to examine alleged negligence in their security duties, following an incident involving the desecration of the US flag by members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) during Sovereignty Day celebrations.
According to an official document issued by the Administrative Affairs and Follow-up Secretariat at the Commander-in-Chief’s Office and signed by its director, General Abdul Amir Al-Shammari, the officers removed from their positions are Brigadier Dawood Salman Dawood, commander of the Second Security Area; Brigadier Riyadh Jizan Rasn Salloum of the Baghdad Rusafa Police Command; Colonel Dhul-Fiqar Awda Kitab, commander of the Fifth Rusafa Emergency Regiment; and Lieutenant Colonel Mustafa Saleh Mahidi, the regiment’s intelligence officer.
The document attributed the decision to the officers’ alleged failure to fulfill their security responsibilities and their allowing PMF members to insult the US flag during the Sovereignty Day parade, an incident described as harmful to international relations.
The Commander-in-Chief also directed Baghdad’s Rusafa Police to intensify field monitoring and maintain a stronger presence during demonstrations, celebrations, and other public events.
Earlier, on October 4, Sabah Al-Numan, spokesperson for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, announced the arrest of individuals involved in the incident concerning the US flag during the Sovereignty Day celebration.
