BAGHDAD, Iraq – Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has signed a decree that formalizes the mainly Shiite Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitary as a force under the command of his office in his role as commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
The directives will in effect provide Hashd fighters and volunteers with privileges similar to those enjoyed by members of the Iraqi military.
The decree signed by Abadi on Thursday forms an organizational framework for the Hashd, headed by the Hashd board with two deputies, and establishes different sections including regional commands and a department for "religious preachers."
It stipulates that the prime minister has the power to delegate some his powers to the head of the Hashd board, which can further be delegated to his deputies.
National Security Advisor Falah Fayadh is the head of the Hashd board and Mahdi al-Muhandis, from the Iran-backed Badr Organization, is his deputy.
The Hashd al-Shaabi was formed upon a call by Iraq's grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in the summer of 2014 when ISIS captured several Iraqi provinces and he urged civilians to take up arms and fight against further expansion of the radical group. The Iraqi parliament passed a vote in November 2016 to recognize the Hashd as part of the official forces.
Sistani in December called on the Hashd to come under the command of the official Iraqi military, adding that the state must have exclusive authority over all armed forces.
