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> 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. </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 has issued a decree seeking to bring mostly Iran-backed militias under the command of the armed forces.

The mostly Shiite militias fall under an umbrella grouping known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), powerful paramilitary and political forces that fought against the "Islamic State" alongside the US-backed Iraqi army.

In all there are about 140,000 battle-hardened armed men in militias in Iraq.

The PMF already report to the prime minister, who is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, but their leadership has close ties to Iran.

Abdul Mahdi's decree, issued late Monday, if implemented, would force all PMF militias into the armed forces, abandoning their names and requiring their leaders to choose between paramilitary or political activity.

Militia headquarters, economic offices and checkpoints are to be closed and those who choose politics would be prevented from carrying weapons, the decree said. Any armed faction working "openly or secretly" against the new rules would be considered illegitimate.

The move comes amid rising US-Iran tensions in the region and worries that Iraq could become a proxy battleground following a series of unclaimed attacks near US forces or their interests in Iraq in recent weeks.

The United States has urged Iraq to rein in the militias and warned that it would respond with force if US interests were attacked.

It also comes after the Wall Street Journal reported that US officials have concluded that a drone attack on a Saudi oil pipeline in May originated from Iraq, not Yemen. Abdul Mahdi denied his country was used to stage any attacks.

The United States has urged Iraq to reign in the militias and warned that it would respond with force if US interests were attacked.

Hisham al-Hashimi, a Baghdad-based security expert who advises the Iraqi government, told Reuters that by being formally part of Iraq’s army any attack on the militias would be considered an attack on Iraq.

"At this time I think Abdul Mahdi was incentivised because of American pressure to put them all in one box in order to protect them, but will they comply? Their compliance hinges on Iran's receptiveness to these orders," he said.

The move is also fraught with potential problems because militia leaders may simply get an upgrade into the formal chain of army command and political ties may not be fully cut. Disbanding 140,000 battle-hardened armed men with few alternative economic prospects has generally been considered to be unrealistic and dangerous.

It is unclear how Iran or militia leaders would follow the decree.

A political coalition of PMF militia leaders came in second in the 2018 parliamentary elections. The Fatah Alliance alongside a political coalition led by influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr that won the election nominated Abdul Mahdi as prime minister.

Al-Sadr, who has fashioned himself into a populist nationalist leader against the influences of both Washington and Tehran, welcomed Abdul Mahdi's decree and announced he would cut ties with his powerful militia.

"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.

Kataeb Hezbollah, a powerful militia with close ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp, also welcomed the order and said it would abide by it. However, it said that its units fighting in Syria alongside President Bashar al-Assad's forces would not follow the rules.

Qais al-Khizali, the leader of the Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, another Iran-backed group, also said he would comply with the new rules.

Every evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here. </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> 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 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 U.S.-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 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, when they fought U.S. occupation of the country. In more recent years, the militias fought alongside U.S.-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 U.S. and Iran in recent weeks, Iraq has found itself caught in the middle between two allies. Iraq hosts more than 5,000 U.S. troops, and it is also home to the powerful Iranian-backed militias, some of whom want the U.S. forces to leave.

The crisis gripping the Middle East stems from 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 U.S. ordered the evacuation of nonessential diplomatic staff from Iraq amid unspecified threats from Iran. Since then, there have been a string of attacks on U.S. interests in Iraq, including military bases where American trainers are based and a rocket attack near the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks. </s> (Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi has issued a decree that further integrates the Popular Mobilization Forces, which have proven a decisive force in Baghdad’s counter-terrorism operations, into the country's armed forces."In the interest of the public good and as per the powers granted to us by the constitution...the following is decreed: All Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) are to operate as an indivisible part of the armed forces and be subject to the same regulations," read the decree, which was issued on Monday, AFP reported.The fighters, also known as Hashd al-Sha’abi, joined forces with the military in 2014 after the Takfiri terror group of Daesh launched a campaign of bloodshed and destruction against the nation.They effectively contributed to the country’s anti-terror struggle, especially in liberation of Daesh-held areas lying to the south, northeast, and north of the capital. The combined push -- reinforced by Iraq’s allies, including Iran, which has been lending military advisory support to the Iraqi military -- led to Daesh’s expulsion in late 2017.This prompted Abdul Mahdi’s predecessor Haider al-Abadi to order the PMU’s formal inclusion in the Arab country's security forces last March. That order granted the PMU many of the same rights as members of the military.However, the United States, which has been leading scores of its allies in a so-called anti-Daesh coalition in Iraq despite the group’s demise, has systematically found fault with the PMU’s involvement in Iraq’s defensive affairs.In May, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had told Iraqi leaders during a surprise visit to Baghdad that if they failed to exercise more control on the fighters, Washington would respond with force.Influential Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sar celebrated Abdul Mahdi’s decision, though, announcing that he would sever its ties with the fighters under his support, and urged them to integrate more closely into the military."What came from the prime minister on the PMU is an important thing and a correct first step towards building a strong state," Sadr said in a statement.
Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi signs a decree ordering all Iranian-backed Shia militias to integrate into the Iraqi Armed Forces by the end of July. The decree will change the names of the militias such as the Popular Mobilization Forces to new divisions and brigades within the military.