ISTANBUL

Iraq said Sunday that 14 members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) were arrested for raiding an office of the Agriculture Ministry in western Baghdad.

The Interior Ministry said early Sunday that an armed group raided the office in the Karkh district of Baghdad as a newly appointed director was assuming his post during an administrative meeting.

The raid sparked panic among employees, who called for security intervention, according to the state news agency INA.

Security forces responded to the scene but came under direct fire from the gunmen, the ministry said. Several officers and personnel were injured, and 14 armed individuals were arrested. Authorities did not provide additional details about the suspects or the circumstances of the raid.

In a subsequent statement, Iraq’s Joint Operations Command confirmed that those arrested were members of the PMF’s 45th and 46th brigades. The suspects were referred to the judiciary, the statement said.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who also serves as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, ordered the formation of a special committee to investigate the events.

There was no comment from the PMF on the report.

The PMF, also known as the Hashd al-Shaabi, was originally formed on June 14, 2014, as a volunteer force supporting Iraqi security forces in the fight against the Daesh/ISIS terror group. It was formally incorporated into Iraq’s armed forces by a government decree in July 2016.