The Iraqi parliament has passed a bill recognising the Shia militia fighters, the Popular Mobilisation Forces, as a government entity operating alongside the military.

The bill passed on Saturday will see the establishment of the Popular Mobilisation Forces Commission, which critics said could only widen sectarian divisions in the war-torn country.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi welcomed the legislation, which was supported by 208 of the parliament's 327 members, saying the newly-formed force "will represent and defend all Iraqis, wherever they are."

Opinion: Iran's 'Shia Liberation Army' is par for the course

The law places the militias under Abadi's command, while giving the militiamen salaries and pensions that mirror those of the military and the police.

The force, numbering more than 100,000, is currently involved in the battle to retake the city of Mosul, fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) in the western flank of the city at Tal Afar.

The forces have been key in retaking Tal Afar, which lies on a supply line from Mosul to ISIL-held territories in Syria.

They reportedly have also been involved in trying to cut off the main road connecting Mosul and Tal Afar, denying ISIL fighters access to more supply.

But Al Jazeera's Charles Stratford, reporting from Makhmour in northern Iraq, said the passage of the bill is "potentially very significant" in igniting tensions between Shia muslims and Sunnis.

"They don't garner much trust among many Sunni and Kurdish Iraqis in this country," he said. "So the passage of this bill has serious ramifications."

Shia 'dictatorship'

On Saturday, Sunni Arab politicians and lawmakers said the bill was evidence of what they called the "dictatorship" of the country's Shia majority.

A day earlier, Osama al-Nujaifi, the Sunni-affiliated vice president, had warned that approving the bill would weaken the military establishment by creating another fighting force that is considered sectarian.

Iraq's Sunni Arabs and rights groups have long complained that the Popular Mobilisation - or Hashid al-Shaabi - forces have been involved in extrajudicial killings, abuse and the theft or destruction of property in areas where they drove out ISIL.

The militias' commanders, however, deny the charges or insist that the excesses are the work of an isolated few.

The Shia militias that operate under the banner of the Popular Mobilisation forces, most of which are backed by neighbouring Iran, have been bankrolled and equipped by the government since shortly after ISIL swept across much of northern and western Iraq in 2014.

Many of these groups existed long before ISIL emerged, fighting American troops in major street battles during the US military presence in Iraq from 2003 to 2011, as well as al-Qaeda in Iraq - which later became ISIL.

They played a key role in checking the advance of ISIL on Baghdad and the Shia shrine cities of Samarra and Karbala in the summer of 2014, and later helped liberate ISIL-held areas to the south, northeast and north of Baghdad, standing in for the security forces, which largely collapsed in the face of the ISIL blitz in 2014.

However, their role has somewhat diminished as more and more of Iraq's security forces have regained their strength. </s> BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's parliament approved a law on Saturday that will transform Popular Mobilisation forces, a mostly Iranian-backed coalition of Shi'ite militias that played a role in fighting Islamic State, into a legal and separate military corps.

Disagreements over the paramilitary units are complicating efforts to pull Iraq together as forces battle to defeat Islamic State, the ultra-hardline Sunni group that overran a third of the country in 2014, proclaiming a "caliphate" that spans parts of Syria.

All the Shi'ite blocks in parliament voted for the bill in a session boycotted by lawmakers from the Sunni minority who object to the existence of armed forces outside the army and police.

Popular Mobilisation, or Hashid Shaabi in Arabic, was accused of abuses against Sunni civilians in towns and villages retaken from Islamic State, according to international human rights groups and the U.N. Human Rights Commissioner.

"I don't understand why we need to have an alternative force to the army and the police," said Sunni member of parliament (MP) Raad al-Dahlaki. "As it stands now, it would constitute something that looks like Iran's Revolutionary Guard," he added.

Iraqi forces started an offensive on Oct. 17 to capture Mosul, Islamic State's last major city stronghold in Iraq, with air and ground support from a U.S.-led coalition. Kurdish and Popular Mobilisation forces are supporting the offensive.

The law does not say how many fighters will be incorporated under the legalized Popular Mobilisation corps, which currently claims to have more than 110,000 fighters, or define the breakdown between members from the different communities.

The government says between 25,000 and 30,000 members of the Hashid are Sunni tribal fighters and nearly all the rest are Shi'ites, with a few Yazidi and Christian units.

The Kurds have their own military force, called Peshmerga, deployed in the Kurdish autonomous area in northern Iraq.

The law provides for Popular Mobilisation to report directly to the prime minister, who is a Shi'ite under Iraq's governing system that split top state positions between the different communities after the 2003 fall of Saddam Hussein.

The army reports to the defense minister, who is traditionally a Sunni, although the position has been vacant since the sacking by parliament of Khaled al-Obeidi in August. </s> BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi issued on Monday a decree heavily curbing the powers of mostly Iran-backed Shi’ite militia groups and forcing them to further integrate into the country’s formal armed forces.

The militias, which helped Iraqi and U.S. led international coalition forces defeat Islamic State militants, have a lot of influence in Iraqi politics.

Abdul Mahdi’s decree integrates paramilitary units into the military and forces groups to pick between political or military activity. Groups have until July 31 to abide by the new regulations, the decree said. </s> (Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi issued a decree on Monday ordering the integration of the Iranian-backed Shia Hashd al-Shaabi militia forces into the formal armed forces of the country, a move to curb the power of influential militias and please the US.The move comes two weeks after a series of unclaimed attacks targeted Iraqi bases hosting US forces as well as sites where American energy companies operate.“In the interest of the public good and as per the powers granted to us by the constitution ... the following is decreed: all Hashd al-Shaabi forces are to operate as an indivisible part of the armed forces and be subject to the same regulations,” as the country’s other security forces, the decree read.Hashd al-Shaabi militias, also known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), played a role in defeating the Islamic State in Iraq following the emergence of the terrorist group in 2014.The at-times controversial militia groups also have significant influence over politics in the country. Its leaders formed the al-Fatih (Conquest) coalition and came in second in Iraq’s 2018 parliamentary elections with 48 seats, right behind Sairon’s 53 seats, headed by Iraq’s pocular Shia cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr.Soon after Abdul-Mahdi issued the decree, Sadr, who presents himself as a nationalist opposing both Washington and Tehran’s influence, announced his support for the move and urged his own militia group to fold into the Iraqi armed forces’ apparatus.“What came from the prime minister [on the Hashd al-Shaabi] is an important thing and a good first step toward building a strong state,” Sadr said in a statement on his Twitter account.The decree also comes as tensions continue to grow between Washington and Tehran, with the US trying to mobilize Gulf countries to form an alliance against Iran, which aims to curb Iran’s “destabilizing influence in the region.”Editing by Nadia Riva </s> BAGHDAD — Iraq’s government moved Monday night to control powerful Iran-backed militias in the country, placing them under the full command of the Iraqi armed forces.

In a decree, Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi said offices of militias that continue to operate independently within or outside Iraqi cities will be closed and any armed faction working “openly or secretly” against the new guidelines will be considered illegitimate. He said the militias will be subject to the same regulations as the army.

The move comes amid US-Iran tensions and follows several unclaimed attacks near US forces or US interests in Iraq.

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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in May told Iraqi leaders during a visit to Baghdad that if they don’t rein in the militias the US will resort to using force, Reuters reported.

According to the report the militias have until July 31 to comply or they will be considered outlaws.

The militias fall under the umbrella of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, a collection of mostly Shiite militias that fought the Islamic State group and were incorporated into the Iraqi armed forces in 2016. Together they number more than 140,000 fighters, and while they fall under the authority of Iraq’s prime minister, the PMF’s top brass are politically aligned with Iran.

Several powerful groups welcomed Abdul-Mahdi’s decree, but it was not immediately clear if they would fully abide by the order — and implementation could prove tricky.

Kataeb Hezbollah, one of the most powerful of the militias, was among those welcoming the order, saying its forces within Iraq would implement it. But it added that its men fighting outside Iraq would not abide by the new rules — an apparent reference to the group’s fighters taking part in the war in neighboring Syria alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces.

Members of the group comprised the majority of protesters outside the Bahraini Embassy in the Iraqi capital that was stormed this week in anger over Bahrain’s hosting of a US-backed conference to promote peace between Arabs and Israelis. An official with the group denied they stormed the embassy.

Populist Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr also welcomed the move by Abdul-Mahdi, saying his faction known as the Peace Brigades, or Saraya al-Salam in Arabic, would implement it. In a tweet, he described the decision as an important “first step” toward building a state, but he also expressed concern that the decision would not be implemented properly.

Qais al-Khizali, the leader of one of the most powerful Iranian-backed Shiite militias in Iraq, also tweeted that the move to integrate the PMF in the armed forces is a step in the right direction.

Some of the mainly Shiite Iran-backed militias rose to prominence after the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, when they fought US occupation of the country. In more recent years, the militias fought alongside US-backed Iraqi troops against IS militants, gaining outsized influence and power along the way. In November 2016, the militias were collectively incorporated into the armed forces based on a parliament vote.

As tensions soared between the US and Iran in recent weeks, Iraq has found itself caught in the middle between two allies. Iraq hosts more than 5,000 US troops, and it is also home to the powerful Iranian-backed militias, some of whom want the US forces to leave.

The crisis gripping the Middle East stems from US President Donald Trump’s withdrawal of the United States a year ago from the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and then imposing crippling new sanctions on Tehran.

Last month, the US ordered the evacuation of nonessential diplomatic staff from Iraq amid unspecified threats from Iran. Since then, there have been a string of attacks on US interests in Iraq, including military bases where American trainers are based and a rocket attack near the US Embassy in Baghdad. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks. </s> BAGHDAD: Iraq’s parliament demanded on Thursday that the government set a timeline for the withdrawal of foreign troops stationed in the country to help fight Islamic State (IS) insurgents, a ruling coalition lawmaker said.

A U.S.-led coalition was formed in 2014 and with thousands of troops and air support helped Iraqi security forces and a Kurdish-led Syrian militia roll back IS across large swathes of Iraq and Syria and destroy the cross-border caliphate set up by the jihadists. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over IS in December.

IS has since reverted to a guerrilla-style insurgency and continues to carry out attacks on selected targets.

The Iraqi parliament’s demand underscores the balancing act Abadi must conduct between the United States and Iran, his two biggest military allies who are themselves arch-adversaries.

“Parliament voted for a decision to thank friendly nations for their support in defeating Islamic State and at the same time to demand the government set a timeline for the withdrawal of foreign troops,” lawmaker Husham al-Suhail told Reuters.

“It is up to the government to decide how long we need them here – one year, two years, it’s up to them.”

Thursday’s vote, backed by all but a handful of the 177 lawmakers present, was sponsored by lawmakers from the ruling Shi‘ite Muslim bloc in parliament.

“The timing of the vote, right before the election, is a message from pro-Iran parties that they do not want American troops in Iraq forever,” said political analyst Ahmed Younis.

“They are achieving two things – pressure on Abadi’s government to expel foreign troops, as well as scoring political points before the election.”

Abadi is seeking a second term in parliamentary elections scheduled for May.

A spokesman for the coalition told Reuters the presence of its troops hinged on Iraqi government approval.

“Our continued presence in Iraq will be conditions-based, proportional to need, in coordination with and by the approval of the Iraqi government,” said U.S. Army Colonel Ryan Dillon.

The coalition says it has begun a transition from focusing on retaking territory to consolidating gains.

It has trained 125,000 members of the Iraqi security forces, 22,000 of which were regional Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, and helped retake almost a third of Iraq from Islamic State through air and logistical support.

The coalition has drawn criticism, however, for the number of civilian casualties resulting from air strikes. At least 841 civilians were killed this way as of January 2018. It says it goes to great lengths to avoid civilian casualties.—Reuters </s> Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has issued a decree curbing the powers of mostly Iranian-backed Shia militias and forcing them to integrate into Iraq's formal armed forces - a politically risky move seemingly aimed at placating the United States.

"In the interest of the public good and as per the powers granted to us by the constitution ... the following is decreed: All Popular Mobilisation Forces are to operate as an indivisible part of the armed forces and be subject to the same regulations," the decree, issued on Monday, said.

The armed groups - known collectively as the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) - helped Iraqi and US-led international coalition forces drive out occupying Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) fighters, and now have broad influence in Iraqi politics.

An alliance of militia leaders and fighters came second in a 2018 parliamentary election.

The PMF already reports to the prime minister, who is the commander-in-chief of Iraq's armed forces, but Abdul Mahdi's decree forces groups that make up the PMF to choose between political and paramilitary activity.

Those who choose to integrate into the military must abandon their old names and sever ties to political organisations. Those who choose politics will not be allowed to carry weapons, the decree said.

Headquarters, economic offices, and checkpoints manned by militias are to be shut down.

Groups will be considered outlaws if they do not comply by July 31 with the new regulations, which come amid mounting tensions between the US and Iran, with Iraq seen as a possible site for any violent flare-up between the two rivals.

Al Jazeera's Mohammed Jamjoom, reporting from the Iraqi capital Baghdad, described the decree as "significant" and said it marked the latest in a series of moves by Abdul Mahdi's administration concerning the PMF and "their workflow within the military establishment".

"There has been concern, especially in the US, that there are factions within those groups that are affiliated with Iran and that they could pose a threat to Iraq and to US interests and personnel inside of Iraq," Jamjoom said.

"Because of mounting tension in the region between the US and Iran, there is a lot of focus right now on these militia groups inside of Iraq that might be affiliated with Iran," he added. "There has been building pressure on Abdul Mahdi to try to rein in Iranian influence inside of Iraq and to try to ensure that Iran does not play an oversized role right now in Iraq."

Monday's decree came two weeks after three mortar shells landed on Balad military base, the first of several recent unclaimed attacks on bases in Iraq hosting US forces, and on a site used by US oil giant ExxonMobil.

Local officials blamed the militias for one of the incidents, but Iran has not commented.

The US, meanwhile, evacuated hundreds of diplomatic staff from its embassy in Baghdad last month, citing unspecified threats from Iran, and has deployed thousands more troops to the Middle East since May.

Washington has also blacklisted Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which has ties to a number of armed groups operating in Iraq, as a "terrorist group". Iran has done the same to US forces operating in the Middle East.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Iraqi leaders during a surprise visit to Baghdad in May if they failed to keep in check Iran-backed militias, Washington would respond with force. </s> BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi sought on Monday to curb the powers of influential Iranian-backed Shi’ite Muslim militias, a politically risky move apparently aimed at placating the United States.

Two weeks after the first of several unclaimed attacks on bases in Iraq hosting U.S. forces and on a site used by a U.S. energy firm, Abdul Mahdi issued a decree ordering militias to integrate more closely into the formal armed forces.

Local officials blamed the Shi’ite militias for one of the incidents, but Iran has not commented. At a time of sharply heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had told Iraqi leaders during a surprise visit to Baghdad in May that if they failed to keep in check Iran-backed militias, the United States would respond with force.

“In the interest of the public good and as per the powers granted to us by the constitution ... the following is decreed: all Popular Mobilisation Forces are to operate as an indivisible part of the armed forces and be subject to the same regulations,” the decree said.

The militias, which helped Iraqi and U.S.-led international coalition forces drive out occupying Islamic State militants under an umbrella grouping known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), have broad influence in Iraqi politics.

An electoral alliance made up of militia leaders and fighters came second in a 2018 parliamentary election and went on alongside firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr - whose political group came first - to jointly nominate Abdul Mahdi as premier.

Abdul Mahdi is an independent who does not belong to any political group and has no personal allies in parliament.

Sadr, who presents himself as a nationalist opposing both Washington and Tehran’s influence, was quick to declare his support for Abdul Mahdi’s decree and announce the severing of ties with his own militia, which he urged to integrate into the armed forces.

“What came from the prime minister on the PMF is an important thing and a correct first step towards building a strong state,” Sadr said in a statement.

There was no immediate comment from Iran-allied militia leaders. Tensions between Washington and its Gulf Arab allies on one side and Tehran and its proxies in the region on the other, have been flaring for months.

The PMF already reports to the prime minister, who is the commander-in-chief of Iraq’s armed forces, but Abdul Mahdi’s decree forces groups that make up the PMF to choose between political and paramilitary activity.

Those who choose to integrate into the military must abandoned their old names and sever ties to political groups. Those who choose politics will not be allowed to carry weapons, the decree said. Headquarters, economic offices, and checkpoints manned by militias are to be shut down.

Groups have until July 31 to abide by the new regulations. Those that do not will be considered outlaws. </s> Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi issued a decree on Monday heavily curbing the powers of mostly Iranian-backed militias and forcing them to integrate more closely into the formal armed forces.

The militias, which helped Iraqi and US-led international coalition forces to drive out ISIS militants under an umbrella grouping known as the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), have broad influence in Iraqi politics.

 

 An electoral alliance made up of militia leaders and fighters came second in a 2018 parliamentary election.

 

 The PMU already reports to the prime minister, who is the commander-in-chief of Iraq’s armed forces, but Abdul Mahdi’s decree forces groups that make up the PMU to choose between political and paramilitary activity.

Groups have until July 31 to abide by the new regulations.

 

 The order came two weeks after three mortar shells landed on Balad military base, the first of several unclaimed attacks in recent days on bases in Iraq hosting US forces and on a site used by a US energy firm.

 

 Local officials blamed the militias for one of the incidents, but Iran has not commented.
The Iraqi parliament passes a law recognizing Shia paramilitary units as a government entity, complete with salaries and pensions that mirror those of the military and the police.