Iraq PM reaffirms PMF as 'pillar of national security' after emergency meeting — Anbar and Mosul strikes reported

Iraqi Prime Minister convened an emergency security meeting and issued a statement describing the Popular Mobilisation Forces as a 'pillar of national security,' reaffirming state support for the PMF following a series of strikes on PMF positions in Anbar, Mosul, and other areas by US-linked or Israeli forces. The statement marks a significant political moment: Iraq's government is formally backing the PMF even as they carry out attacks on US military sites and as the US and allied forces conduct counter-strikes. The mention of Mosul (Nineveh Province, northern Iraq) is geographically significant — Mosul is far north of the Anbar/Al-Habbaniya area, indicating that strikes on PMF positions are occurring across multiple Iraqi provinces simultaneously. The statement also noted that some PMF factions attacked the US consulate in Erbil — Kurdistan's capital — a significant escalation against diplomatic infrastructure that could trigger a US Article 5-equivalent response under the Vienna Convention. Iraq faces an impossible position: the PMF operates under the Iraqi state officially, but its Iran-aligned factions carry out operations against US forces and infrastructure. The Iraq NSC already authorized PMF self-defense responses after the Day 25 Anbar strike. The Prime Minister's emergency meeting and PMF endorsement signals Baghdad is moving closer to the Iran-aligned position amid escalating pressure.