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Iraq
Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi at a sit-down with three journalists on July 22, 2019. Photo: PMO social media
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Baghdad is not trying to weaken or dissolve the Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitias by integrating them into the Iraqi armed forces, Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi insisted Tuesday. The aim is simply to bring them under central control.
The Iraqi PM decreed on July 1 his government will fully integrate the predominantly Shiite paramilitias of Hashd al-Shaabi into the national army, ostensibly to rationalize Iraq’s fragmented defense apparatus.
“Hashd al-Shaabi stood against the Islamic State (ISIS) caliphate in Iraq side-by-side with the Iraqi security forces since 2014, and they have sacrificed their lives for the sake of Iraq’s freedom,” Abdul-Mahdi told journalists in an interview published Tuesday.
“Therefore there is no way we will weaken or ignore the Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitias. No one who believes in Iraq’s security and stability would aim to do that.”
“Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitias need to become an official part of the Iraqi national army and to come fully under the command of the Iraqi ministry of defense and the commander-in-chief,” he added.
Hashd al-Shaabi was formed in 2014 based on a fatwa (religious decree) by Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the highest Shiite authority in Iraq, when ISIS militants were advancing on the Iraqi capital.
It was officially recognized by the Iraqi parliament at the height of the ISIS conflict in 2016 and loosely brought under the Iraqi security forces umbrella.
Although it was technically brought under the authority of the commander-in-chief – Iraq’s prime minister – Hashd al-Shaabi has held on to much of its military, political, and economic independence, functioning autonomously of central government.
During the interview, Abdul-Mahdi said his government had already made progress.
“The Iraqi government has already started to implement the decree by closing some Hashd offices inside the cities, also ceasing all the activities of some of Hashd units inside the cities, and finally we are working on transferring the Hashd units into military bases outside the cities,” the prime minister said.
“At the end, we will have a Hashd that will be an essential and a legal part of the Iraqi national army, also forming a structure that Hashd al-Shaabi will depend on, and fully under the command of the Iraqi government and commander-in-chief,” he added, claiming the decree’s main aim is to protect the Hashd.
Under the decree, a July 31 deadline has been set for all Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitaries to integrate into the Iraqi armed forces.
“All Hashd al-Shaabi forces will work as an inseparable part of the armed forces. All rules applied to the armed forces will be applied to them, unless special letters decree otherwise,” read the first section of the decree.
Units or forces that choose not to integrate may “transform” into a political party, but they will not be allowed to carry weapons for any reason other than the protection of their offices.
Although the decree was welcomed by many political parties in the Iraqi parliament, several of which are led by current and former commanders of Hashd factions, its success is not guaranteed. The narrow deadline, combined with the extensive political influence of Hashd groups, may disrupt its full implementation.
Abdul-Mahdi confessed the process has not been easy and faces several obstacles, without providing details.
“The implementation of the decree will take a long time. It won’t be easy either,” he said.
Abdul-Mahdi has been under 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 camps where US troops are stationed, as well as a near-miss attack against the US embassy in Baghdad.
Additionally, a May 14 attack on US ally Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure, attributed to Iran-backed Houthis, and is suspected by US officials to have been launched from Iraq.
The attacks have largely been attributed to Hashd factions, some of which have expressed support for Iran amid current Persian Gulf tensions with the US.
The Iraqi PM decreed on July 1 his government will fully integrate the predominantly Shiite paramilitias of Hashd al-Shaabi into the national army, ostensibly to rationalize Iraq’s fragmented defense apparatus.
“Hashd al-Shaabi stood against the Islamic State (ISIS) caliphate in Iraq side-by-side with the Iraqi security forces since 2014, and they have sacrificed their lives for the sake of Iraq’s freedom,” Abdul-Mahdi told journalists in an interview published Tuesday.
“Therefore there is no way we will weaken or ignore the Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitias. No one who believes in Iraq’s security and stability would aim to do that.”
“Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitias need to become an official part of the Iraqi national army and to come fully under the command of the Iraqi ministry of defense and the commander-in-chief,” he added.
Hashd al-Shaabi was formed in 2014 based on a fatwa (religious decree) by Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the highest Shiite authority in Iraq, when ISIS militants were advancing on the Iraqi capital.
It was officially recognized by the Iraqi parliament at the height of the ISIS conflict in 2016 and loosely brought under the Iraqi security forces umbrella.
Although it was technically brought under the authority of the commander-in-chief – Iraq’s prime minister – Hashd al-Shaabi has held on to much of its military, political, and economic independence, functioning autonomously of central government.
During the interview, Abdul-Mahdi said his government had already made progress.
“The Iraqi government has already started to implement the decree by closing some Hashd offices inside the cities, also ceasing all the activities of some of Hashd units inside the cities, and finally we are working on transferring the Hashd units into military bases outside the cities,” the prime minister said.
“At the end, we will have a Hashd that will be an essential and a legal part of the Iraqi national army, also forming a structure that Hashd al-Shaabi will depend on, and fully under the command of the Iraqi government and commander-in-chief,” he added, claiming the decree’s main aim is to protect the Hashd.
Under the decree, a July 31 deadline has been set for all Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitaries to integrate into the Iraqi armed forces.
“All Hashd al-Shaabi forces will work as an inseparable part of the armed forces. All rules applied to the armed forces will be applied to them, unless special letters decree otherwise,” read the first section of the decree.
Units or forces that choose not to integrate may “transform” into a political party, but they will not be allowed to carry weapons for any reason other than the protection of their offices.
Although the decree was welcomed by many political parties in the Iraqi parliament, several of which are led by current and former commanders of Hashd factions, its success is not guaranteed. The narrow deadline, combined with the extensive political influence of Hashd groups, may disrupt its full implementation.
Abdul-Mahdi confessed the process has not been easy and faces several obstacles, without providing details.
“The implementation of the decree will take a long time. It won’t be easy either,” he said.
Abdul-Mahdi has been under 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 camps where US troops are stationed, as well as a near-miss attack against the US embassy in Baghdad.
Additionally, a May 14 attack on US ally Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure, attributed to Iran-backed Houthis, and is suspected by US officials to have been launched from Iraq.
The attacks have largely been attributed to Hashd factions, some of which have expressed support for Iran amid current Persian Gulf tensions with the US.
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