Passing PMF law without US consent could damage Iraq’s economy: commander

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq withdrew a controversial draft law on the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) from parliament under pressure from the United States, a commander in the force told Rudaw on Thursday, warning that passing the bill without Washington’s approval could trigger crippling sanctions.

“We cannot confront America,” said Abdulrahman al-Jazaeri, a PMF brigade commander. “Iraq’s finances rely entirely on oil and our revenues pass through America. Any sanctions would cause severe damage to Iraq’s economy.”

The bill seeks to formalize the Popular Mobilization Commission, which oversees the PMF, regulating the force’s structure, pay and benefits. It has split lawmakers and touches on the militia’s powerful role in Iraq’s politics and security.

Washington had voiced concern that it will empower pro-Iran militias that have attacked US forces in Iraq. A State Department spokesperson labeled it a “deeply unhelpful step.”

“This law represents everything that is wrong with Iranian influence in Iraq, and everything wrong with having, essentially, an independent militia doing whatever they want,” Vincent Campos, former public diplomacy officer at the US State Department, told Rudaw earlier this month.

Jazaeri said the bill should be widely debated in Iraq and the PMF has the right to its own law, but Iraq’s leadership have so far been unable to convince Washington that the force is not tied to Iran.

The PMF was formed in 2014 after revered Shiite cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani issued a call to arms in response to rapid territorial gains by the Islamic State (ISIS). It is composed of various armed factions, including groups designated as terrorist organizations by Washington.

It was officially incorporated into the Iraqi security apparatus and granted formal legal status by parliament in 2016, but many of its factions still operate independently, with impunity, and reportedly maintain strong ties to Iran. Some of the factions have been involved in attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria and remain openly hostile to Washington.

Jazaeri also warned that ISIS could return to Iraq from Syria, saying foreign militants are gathering in the country’s northwest and have been provided with forged Iraqi identity cards.

“We have evidence that a number of foreign militants have gathered in areas around Idlib in Syria and in the possibility of chaos and deterioration of Iraq's situation, they are coming toward Iraq, meaning ISIS is returning to Iraq once again,” he said.

There is also evidence that “fake Iraqi national ID cards and documents have been made for foreign militants, and in recent days, several militants with Syrian origins have been arrested in Iraq who had fake Iraqi national ID cards made for them,” he added.

ISIS rose to power in 2014 when it seized swathes of Iraqi and Syrian land in a brazen offensive and declared a so-called “caliphate.” It was declared territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017 and two years later in Syria.

Despite its defeat, the group continues hit-and-run attacks, aiming to regain influence - particularly after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December - in areas with security gaps, including Syria’s vast deserts.