Hashd not an obstacle to Shingal agreement, but part of solution: chairman
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The head of Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi) denied the group is an obstacle before the implementation of the Shingal agreement between Erbil and Baghdad, adding that they support a solution to the issue.
The Iraqi federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) reached an agreement nearly one year ago on the disputed Shingal region, also called Sinjar, stipulating that all armed forces should leave the city and be replaced by the federal police.
The agreement has yet to be implemented, largely because armed groups refuse to leave.
Falih al-Fayyadh, chairman of the PMF, told Rudaw's Shahyan Tahseen in an extensive interview on September 19 in Baghdad that the PMF is not in Shingal city. He said he had drafted a solution to the Shingal dispute before Erbil and Baghdad finalized their deal.
“I was the one who drafted the scenario to resolve this issue even before the agreement between the [Kurdistan] Region and the federal government was finalized,” he said. “Hashd is part of the solution rather than being the issue.”
He said that some local Yazidi forces were established in Shingal to fight the Islamic State group (ISIS) after the Peshmerga withdrew and stayed on after the terror group was defeated. In October 2017, in the aftermath of the Kurdistan independence referendum and following clashes between Peshmerga and federal forces, the area once again "fell under the control of the Iraqi government.”
A number of armed forces remain in Shingal with various allegiances, including the Kurdistan Region Peshmerga, Hashd, and groups affiliated with the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK). This has hindered Yazidis from returning to their homes.
“There are police and army - the Hashd al-Shaabi are not present in the downtown,” Fayyadh said.
The ISIS attack in Shingal in 2014 caused the displacement of its residents to the Kurdistan Region, northeast Syria (Rojava) and abroad. Thousands of Yazidis went missing since ISIS occupation.
The failure to implement the agreement has drawn concern from the international community.
U.S. Consul General in Erbil Robert Palladino said in late August: “Unfortunately, the Iran-aligned militia in Sinjar has refused to abide by the instructions of the Iraqi government, and this element continues to defy Iraqi authority.”
He said the U.S. urges full PKK and PMF withdrawal from the region in order for the agreement to be implemented.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who visited Iraq in late August, said that Shingal “remains a real victim of destabilization” as a combined result of terrorist activity and bombardment by the Turkish army.
Intervention in elections
Many Sunnis fear that Hashd, which dominates some parts of Sunni areas including Anbar, Nineveh and Salahaddin, may intervene in Iraq’s upcoming parliamentary elections in attempts to weaken Sunni candidates.
“I do not think such a concern exists,” Fayyadh said. “Some people want to show that Hashd may politically support a specific candidate.” He added that, like the candidates, Hashd forces are local to Sunni areas.
Fayyadh said it is the duty of the electoral commission to monitor such cases. The PMF is willing to receive evidence-backed complaints from anyone about alleged violations in areas under their control, he said.
There are also reports about Kurdish authorities’ pressure on the displaced people in the Kurdistan Region to vote for them in the elections, Fayyadh said, repeating that such claims should not be considered unless backed with evidence. He acknowledged that Hashd violations by individual members should not be attributed to the group.
Attacks on Erbil
Hashd-affiliated groups have been blamed for some of the more than 40 rocket attacks on Erbil in 2021. Many target Erbil International Airport and areas housing US forces, and some have been claimed by pro-Iran militias.
Hashd has publicly campaigned against the presence of US forces in Iraq, especially after the assassination of their top official, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, in January of 2020. Fayyadh denied any involvement in the attacks on Erbil, adding that the PMF are not capable of preventing militia groups from launching the attacks from Hashd-controlled areas.
Fayyadh said militia groups in Hashd-controlled areas are not affiliated with the Hashd.
“We are different forces,” he said, adding that “these groups are responsible for any violation or work they do. Hashd is not responsible. It is not our duty to force a party to abide by the law.”
The Iraqi government has said on multiple occasions that it was investigating the attacks on Erbil. Fayyadh said they have cooperated with investigative teams when needed.
“We work with committees in all incidents and provide any information we have. When I visited the [Kurdistan] Region and met with my brother [KDP leader] President Masoud [Barzani], we talked about this issue for a long time,” he said. “Hashd should be distinguished from these armed groups who have their own political and security visions.”
He said that groups carrying out the attacks believe there should be pressure on the US to leave Iraq.
“They do the pressure in their own way - should it be in Anbar, Baghdad or Erbil,” he said.
The Iraqi federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) reached an agreement nearly one year ago on the disputed Shingal region, also called Sinjar, stipulating that all armed forces should leave the city and be replaced by the federal police.
The agreement has yet to be implemented, largely because armed groups refuse to leave.
Falih al-Fayyadh, chairman of the PMF, told Rudaw's Shahyan Tahseen in an extensive interview on September 19 in Baghdad that the PMF is not in Shingal city. He said he had drafted a solution to the Shingal dispute before Erbil and Baghdad finalized their deal.
“I was the one who drafted the scenario to resolve this issue even before the agreement between the [Kurdistan] Region and the federal government was finalized,” he said. “Hashd is part of the solution rather than being the issue.”
He said that some local Yazidi forces were established in Shingal to fight the Islamic State group (ISIS) after the Peshmerga withdrew and stayed on after the terror group was defeated. In October 2017, in the aftermath of the Kurdistan independence referendum and following clashes between Peshmerga and federal forces, the area once again "fell under the control of the Iraqi government.”
A number of armed forces remain in Shingal with various allegiances, including the Kurdistan Region Peshmerga, Hashd, and groups affiliated with the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK). This has hindered Yazidis from returning to their homes.
“There are police and army - the Hashd al-Shaabi are not present in the downtown,” Fayyadh said.
The ISIS attack in Shingal in 2014 caused the displacement of its residents to the Kurdistan Region, northeast Syria (Rojava) and abroad. Thousands of Yazidis went missing since ISIS occupation.
The failure to implement the agreement has drawn concern from the international community.
U.S. Consul General in Erbil Robert Palladino said in late August: “Unfortunately, the Iran-aligned militia in Sinjar has refused to abide by the instructions of the Iraqi government, and this element continues to defy Iraqi authority.”
He said the U.S. urges full PKK and PMF withdrawal from the region in order for the agreement to be implemented.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who visited Iraq in late August, said that Shingal “remains a real victim of destabilization” as a combined result of terrorist activity and bombardment by the Turkish army.
Intervention in elections
Many Sunnis fear that Hashd, which dominates some parts of Sunni areas including Anbar, Nineveh and Salahaddin, may intervene in Iraq’s upcoming parliamentary elections in attempts to weaken Sunni candidates.
“I do not think such a concern exists,” Fayyadh said. “Some people want to show that Hashd may politically support a specific candidate.” He added that, like the candidates, Hashd forces are local to Sunni areas.
Fayyadh said it is the duty of the electoral commission to monitor such cases. The PMF is willing to receive evidence-backed complaints from anyone about alleged violations in areas under their control, he said.
There are also reports about Kurdish authorities’ pressure on the displaced people in the Kurdistan Region to vote for them in the elections, Fayyadh said, repeating that such claims should not be considered unless backed with evidence. He acknowledged that Hashd violations by individual members should not be attributed to the group.
Attacks on Erbil
Hashd-affiliated groups have been blamed for some of the more than 40 rocket attacks on Erbil in 2021. Many target Erbil International Airport and areas housing US forces, and some have been claimed by pro-Iran militias.
Hashd has publicly campaigned against the presence of US forces in Iraq, especially after the assassination of their top official, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, in January of 2020. Fayyadh denied any involvement in the attacks on Erbil, adding that the PMF are not capable of preventing militia groups from launching the attacks from Hashd-controlled areas.
Fayyadh said militia groups in Hashd-controlled areas are not affiliated with the Hashd.
“We are different forces,” he said, adding that “these groups are responsible for any violation or work they do. Hashd is not responsible. It is not our duty to force a party to abide by the law.”
The Iraqi government has said on multiple occasions that it was investigating the attacks on Erbil. Fayyadh said they have cooperated with investigative teams when needed.
“We work with committees in all incidents and provide any information we have. When I visited the [Kurdistan] Region and met with my brother [KDP leader] President Masoud [Barzani], we talked about this issue for a long time,” he said. “Hashd should be distinguished from these armed groups who have their own political and security visions.”
He said that groups carrying out the attacks believe there should be pressure on the US to leave Iraq.
“They do the pressure in their own way - should it be in Anbar, Baghdad or Erbil,” he said.