ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Initially created as a temporary solution in resisting ISIS expansion in Iraq, the Iran-backed Shiite Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), otherwise known as Hashd al-Shaabi, are now seeking to integrate into Iraq’s political system post-ISIS.
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Initially created as a temporary solution in resisting ISIS expansion in Iraq, the Iran-backed Shiite Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), otherwise known as Hashd al-Shaabi, are now seeking to integrate into Iraq’s political system post-ISIS.
Leaders of Hashd al-Shaabi are pushing Baghdad to “recognize them as a part of the state’s defense system and provide its fighters with salaries and pensions” as reported by Voice of America (VOA) on Friday.
“The government should fulfill its responsibility of granting the rightful share of salaries for the members of Popular Mobilization Forces in the 2018 budget,” Ahmad al-Assadi, Shiite member of the Iraqi Parliament and spokesperson for the PMF said on Thursday.
“Those salaries need to be equal to their counterparts from the security forces,” Assadi added.
The Hashd al-Shaabi is an umbrella of more than 60 groups who came together mid-2014 following a fatwa from Shiite Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani to drive out ISIS militants who were quickly gaining control of the country.Demands from Hashd leaders come at a time when Iraq is preparing for general elections as well as new budgets for 2018.
The Hashd is formally recognized by the Iraqi government and nearly $60 million dedicated for its operations. Additionally, a bill was passed by parliament in November 2016 which recognized the group as a government entity alongside Iraqi’s military units and stated it “will represent and defend all Iraqis, wherever they are.”
However, the fate of the Hashd was left out of the parliament bill once ISIS was eliminated from the country.
Al-Assadi stated that some parliament members have sent a new draft to be considered by the Iraqi Council of Ministries which would lay out future responsibilities of Hashd.
“We want them to speed up the process of discussions on the draft and send it to the parliament for approval,” al-Assadi said, speaking at a press conference in Baghdad.
He did not mention if the new draft would allow Hashd to participate in the Iraqi electoral process, however as reported by pan-Arab media outlet al-Arab al-Jadeed, there have been over 20 affiliates of Hashd registered for the May 2018 elections, some of them including armed wings.
Even some controversial groups such as Badr Organization, Kataib Hezbollah and Asaib ahl al-Haq were among those granted permission to participate in the May elections, al Arab al Jadeed reported.
These groups receive support from Iraq, but the United States has designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization due to its involvement in attacks on Americans, while US congressmen introduced a bill on Friday to impose "terrorism-related sanctions" on As-Saib Ahl Al-Haq.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Wednesday that any political parties with armed wings would not be allowed to take part in the 2018 elections.
“Political parties should give up their armed wings, or they will be prevented from taking part,” al-Abadi said during a press conference.
Kurds have condemned Iranian involvement in recent clashes between Peshmerga and Iraqi forces in the disputed areas since Iraqi military supported by Iran-backed Hashd took control of Kirkuk on October 16 as well as other disputed and border areas.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who visited Saudi Arabia on October 22 called for Iranian “militias” to leave Iraq now that ISIS has almost been driven out of the country.
"Certainly Iranian militias that are in Iraq, now that the fighting against (ISIS) is coming to a close, those militias need to go home," Rex Tillerson said at a press conference in Riyadh.
Iran’s Quds commander Qassem Soleimani is a military advisor to the Hashd and Iraqi forces, an Iraqi government spokesperson confirmed last month.
Attempts to allow Hashd and its affiliates to integrate into the Iraqi government are likely to face strong opposition, especially from Kurds and Sunnis who accuse the group of pushing a sectarian agenda along with human rights violations.
“Those militia groups do not serve the interests of Iraq,” Faris al-Faris, a Sunni parliament member representing Anbar province told VOA.
He added that the Iraqi central government should disarm those within Hashd, particularly those close to Iran.
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