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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraq’s defense ministry announced Wednesday it will pursue legal action against a senior Hashd al-Shaabi unit deputy leader who called for the immediate disbandment of the Iraqi Army.
Deputy Harakat al-Nujaba head Yousif al-Nasri called for the army's immediate dissolution "because they are useless,” al-Nasri said in a Monday interview on Iraqi television channel al-Itijah.
“Soldiers are getting paid to flee once any fight or tensions arises anywhere in Iraq,” he added.
Iraq’s defense ministry confirmed plans to pursue legal action against al-Nasri in a Wednesday statement, condemning his “harsh and hateful” comments towards the army.
“We will take legal action against al-Nasri for his inappropriate comments,” it said.
Harakat al-Nujaba form part of Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces, or PMF). Known to have close ties to Iran, they were designated a terror organization by the US in March 2019.
Nasr al-Shimari, Harakat al-Nujaba spokesperson and deputy secretary general, released a statement on Wednesday claiming that footage of the interview had been manipulated to create al-Nasri’s disparaging Iraqi Army remarks.
“We reject the recent wave of attacks on Harakat al-Nujaba on social media platforms, which is sponsored by the US embassy. What Yousif al-Nasri said was not representative of al-Nujaba,” al-Shimari said in the statement.
“We believe that the video of al-Nasri talking about the Iraqi army has been edited,” al-Shimari added.
Hashd al-Shaabi distanced itself from al-Nasri’s comments in a Wednesday statement.
“What Yousif al-Nasri said to one TV station does not represent Hashd al-Shaabi,” the statement said.
“We ask media agencies to be extra careful when they want a voice from Hashd al-Shaabi on a show or program,” the statement added.
The almost entirely Shiite Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitias were formed in 2014 as Islamic State (ISIS) advanced on Baghdad, and assisted in army offensives to dislodge the group.
Formally incorporated into Iraq’s armed forces following a 2016 parliamentary bill, it is officially under the command of Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi and National Security Advisor Falih al-Fayyadh.
Under pressure to curb the independence of Iran-affiliated armed groups in Iraq, Abdul-Mahdi – who is also commander-in-chief of the armed forces – issued a decree ordering the July 31 integration of Hashd al-Shaabi units into the Iraqi army on July 1.
The call for unit integration has been met with both delay and resistance.
Fayadh requested an extension of two months to finalize the new structure, according to an official letter published a day before the deadline.
In opposition to the recall of a Hashd unit from the Nineveh Plains, an August 5 protest blocked the main road between Erbil and Mosul.
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