Abadi, head of al-Nasr (Victory) coalition in the Iraqi parliament, called on Iraq’s Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi on Monday to include the Peshmerga in his decree to fully amalgamate the Hashd into the Iraqi military.
“This decree or law should include the Kurdish Peshmerga forces,” Abadi said in the statement.
“The unity and stability of Iraq depends on the unity of the armed forces that includes all the ethnic and religious groups, and exceptions for any forces outside of the Iraqi armed forces will create huge threats to the stability and unity of Iraq and harm the sovereignty of our country,” Abadi added.
Abdul-Mahdi decreed on Monday his plan to fully integrate the Hashd into the defense establishment, to reorganize and rationalize Iraq’s Armed Forces. Hashd units, many of which have close ties to Iran, were established in response to a fatwa in 2014 to fight the Islamic State group (ISIS) when the jihadists threatened Baghdad.
The Hashd was brought under the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) umbrella by the Iraqi parliament in 2016, but has largely continued to operate independently of the state.
Under the Iraqi constitution, the Peshmerga is already part of the ISF, but has its own command structures independent of Baghdad.
Speaking to Rudaw on Thursday, Serbast Lezgin, deputy minister of Peshmerga in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), said the Kurdish forces cannot be considered the same as the Shiite paramilitias.
“Kurdistan Peshmerga forces already see themselves as part of the Iraqi defense system, and there are a huge difference between Peshmerga forces and Hashd al-Shaabi regarding their history and strategy,” Lezgin said.
“The Iraqi government has neglected the Peshmerga’s initial rights for years, except this year the Iraqi government decided to send Peshmerga salaries, however this budget is still to be sent for Peshmerga forces,” he added, referring to the central government allocation for the Kurdish force.
Lezgin said any problems between the ISF and the Peshmerga should be resolved under the Iraqi constitution and through peaceful dialogue.
The Peshmerga and Hashd forces clashed in October 2017 when Abadi ordered the paramilitias to take over Kirkuk and other territories disputed between Baghdad and the KRG.
Abadi unsuccessfully tried to unify the ISF and establish more influence over the Hashd while in office.
Abdul-Mahdi’s decree has been largely welcomed by the Shiite parties in the Iraqi parliament, many of which are headed by former and current Hashd commanders.
Pro-Iran paramilitias are suspected of launching rocket attacks on military bases hosting US troops and oil facilities managed by ExxonMobil.
In early June, a rocket was fired at the Baghdad Green Zone, which houses the US embassy compound. Mortar shells and rockets also fell on the Balad and Taji military bases north of Baghdad, which host US and coalition technicians and advisors.
As Baghdad struggles to maintain its neutrality amid escalating US-Iran tensions, Abdul-Mahdi’s move is also seen an attempt to rein in the paramilitias while also protecting them from US sanctions.
The Iraqi prime minister has come under mounting US pressure to limit the power of Iran-affiliated militias within Iraq.
Muqtada al-Sadr, the firebrand Shiite cleric whose Sayirun alliance is the biggest bloc in the Iraqi parliament, welcomed the decree and announced on Tuesday his Saraya Al-Salam militia has already started the process of integration.
“What has been issued by the Iraqi Prime Minister regarding the Hashd al-Shaabi is quite an important step toward a stronger Iraq,” Sadr tweeted on Tuesday.
“I would like to announce that the Saraya al-Salam fighters are under the command of Adil Abdul-Mahdi from now on. Finally, I would like to thank the Iraqi prime minister for this initiative and I hope he keeps working for the sake of Iraq’s unity and the unity of its police, army and forces,” he added.
The Hashd was formed during the ISIS conflict following a fatwa by Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the highest religious authority for Iraq’s Shiites. The Iraqi parliament recognized the Hashd as a part of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in late 2016.
The prime minister of Iraq is constitutionally the commander-in-chief of all armed forces. However, direct command and control of groups like the Hashd by Abdul-Mahdi and his predecessors has been difficult to achieve.
“All Hashd al-Shaabi forces will work as an inseparable part of the armed forces. All rules applied to the armed forces will be applied to them, unless special letters decree otherwise,” the decree states.
