Within twenty minutes on the morning of 20 August 2026, six channels belonging to or aligned with four separate factions published the PMF announcement that special operations of its Directorate-General of Security and Discipline had completed deployment inside Samarra and on its entrances and external checkpoints to secure the martyrdom-anniversary ceremonies of Imam Hasan al-Askari. Three of the texts — carried by Sabereen News (KH — affiliated), Al-Ghadeer TV (Badr Organization — official) and Al-Kornet al-Kata'ibi (KSS — affiliated) — are word-for-word matches on a deterministic text comparison; Al-Nujaba TV (Nujaba — official), Al-Ittijah TV (KH — official) and Unit 10,000 (KH — affiliated) ran reformulations of the same statement. The rung holds at credible because the deployment claim rests on a single originating PMF statement replicated across the network with no outside coverage in the collected material and no independent line confirming units or positions.
- Sabereen NewsKH — affiliated20 Aug, 09:31
“The special operations of the Directorate-General of Security and Discipline of the Authority completed their deployment inside the city of Samarra, and at its entrances and the external checkpoints”
أكملت العمليات الخاصة في المديرية العامة للأمن والانضباط بالهيئة انتشارها داخل مدينة سامراء،وعلى مداخلها والسيطرات الخارجية
- Unit 10,000KH — affiliated20 Aug, 09:32
“Their name is the lions and they are called the Hashd — the PMF special operations complete their deployment inside the city of Samarra”
اسمهم الاسود ويلقبونهم بالحشد — العمليات الخاصة للحشد الشعبي تكمل انتشارها داخل مدينة سامراء
- Al-Nujaba TVNujaba — official20 Aug, 09:32
“The special operations of the Directorate-General of Security and Discipline of the Popular Mobilization Forces completed their deployment inside the city of Samarra, and at its entrances and the external checkpoints”
أكملت العمليات الخاصة في المديرية العامة للأمن والانضباط بهيئة الحشد الشعبي انتشارها داخل مدينة سامراء، وعلى مداخلها والسيطرات الخارجية
- Al-Ittijah TVKH — official20 Aug, 09:35
“The special operations of the Security and Discipline Directorate are completing their deployment inside Samarra and at its entrances and the external checkpoints”
العمليات الخاصة في مديرية الأمن والانضباط تستكمل انتشارها داخل سامراء ومداخلها والسيطرات الخارجية
- Al-Ghadeer TVBadr Organization — official20 Aug, 09:37
“The special operations of the Directorate-General of Security and Discipline of the Authority completed their deployment inside the city of Samarra, and at its entrances and the external checkpoints”
أكملت العمليات الخاصة في المديرية العامة للأمن والانضباط بالهيئة انتشارها داخل مدينة سامراء،وعلى مداخلها والسيطرات الخارجية
- Al-Kornet al-Kata'ibiKSS — affiliated20 Aug, 09:40
“The special operations of the Directorate-General of Security and Discipline of the Authority completed their deployment inside the city of Samarra, and at its entrances and the external checkpoints”
أكملت العمليات الخاصة في المديرية العامة للأمن والانضباط بالهيئة انتشارها داخل مدينة سامراء،وعلى مداخلها والسيطرات الخارجية
The announcement places armed PMF units inside a Sunni-majority city and on control of its entrances and external checkpoints, which is access to and regulation of movement, whatever the stated ceremonial purpose.