“The time has come to organize the factions of Hashd al-Shaabi in a legal, systematic method,” PM Adil Abdul-Mahdi told reporters during his weekly press conference in Baghdad on Tuesday.
“No to arms outside state control. This is the main foundation on which we have settled,” the PM said.
His decree is designed to ensure the “rights” of Hashd fighters, but also “organizes the security setting” of Iraq, he added.
Abdul-Mahdi issued a decree on Monday to fully integrate and absorb Hashd al-Shaabi forces into the military. The force has been operating on a largely independent basis since its formation four years ago. Several branches are known to have close ties to Iran.
The decision was widely interpreted as an attempt to rein in the paramilitias’ authority and independence, but also seen as an attempt to shield Hashd forces from US sanctions on Iran.
The decree was widely welcomed by political parties in the Iraqi parliament, several of which are led by current and former commanders of Hashd factions.
As an independent technocrat, Abdul-Mahdi lacks a faction of his own in the parliament. He was chosen as a compromise candidate by the rival Shiite blocs.
He is strongly backed by the Bina coalition, composed of parties that head several Hashd factions on the ground.
The PM said the process is likely to begin on July 31. However, it is unclear how the integration process will be implemented or when it is expected to be complete.
Hashd fighters who have graduated from an Iraqi military college or a military college recognized by Iraq’s Armed Forces will be allowed to obtain an equivalent rank in the Iraqi Army, Abdul-Mahdi said.
“Hashd al-Shaabi has come to have fully established institutions concerning their affiliates and the rankings they have given out. This topic will be resolved by instructions later on our part, on the part of Hashd al-Shaabi Commission,” the PM added.
Formally incorporated into Iraq’s armed forces in 2016 following a parliamentary bill, the forces are officially under the control of the commander-in-chief – the prime minister – and Falih Fayadh, the current national security adviser and head of the Hashd al-Shaabi Commission.
The almost entirely Shiite paramilitias were formed in 2014 following on a fatwa (religious decree) by Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the highest Shiite religious authority in Iraq, when the Islamic State group (ISIS) advanced on Baghdad.
Although many Hashd fighters are individuals who responded to the threat of ISIS, many had earlier fought against US forces during the post-2003 occupation, while others have received funding and training from Iran.
Each paramilitia has its own name, with the most well-known among them including Asaib Ahl al-Haq, the Badr Corps, and Hezbollah Iraq.
In Iraq’s May 12, 2018 elections, a newly-formed coalition, named the Fatih Alliance, won the second highest number of seats in the Iraqi parliament. Abdul-Mahdi’s decree seeks to sever political ties “on an individual or organizational level”.
With Hashd forces training in Iraqi military barracks, bases belonging to any faction of the Hashd will be shut down, while all checkpoints, “economic offices”, or interests outside the “new working framework” will be closed, the PM said in Monday’s announcement.
Forces who choose not to integrate may “transform” into political parties, but they will not be allowed to carry weapons for any reason other than to protect their offices, according to the decree.
Abdul-Mahdi has been under mounting pressure to curb the actions of Iran-affiliated groups after a spate of rocket attacks against US military and economic targets in Iraq, with attacks carried out on ExxonMobil’s Basra headquarters and military facilities where US troops are stationed, as well as a near-miss attack against the US embassy in Baghdad.
Additionally, a May 14 attack on the oil infrastructure of US ally Saudi Arabia, attributed to Iran-backed Houthis, is suspected by US officials to have been launched from Iraq.
The attacks have been largely attributed to Hashd factions, some of whom have expressed support for Iran as tensions between Tehran and Washington escalate.
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