ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A bill aimed at further legitimizing pro-Iran armed factions has sparked controversy in Iraq. While the United States has voiced opposition to the move, two lawmakers affiliated with the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), also known as Hashd al-Shaabi, told Rudaw they reject Washington’s interference.
Mahdi al-Amerli, a PMF-linked lawmaker, told Rudaw on Tuesday that they “will not submit to any external pressures regarding Iraq and Iraq's sovereignty,” claiming the law will serve all Iraqis.
“When we say Popular Mobilization Forces, we have Sunni, Shiite, Christian, and Shabak PMFs. Even our Kurdish brothers are present in this institution. This is a security institution linked to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces,” he added.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
Washington has expressed increasing caution about the bill that aims to regulate the PMF’s structure, salaries, and retirement benefits, a politically sensitive issue given the PMF’s central role in Iraq’s security framework and the political influence it wields.
“Pursuing this law can put Iraq’s reputation at risk both regionally and internationally,” Vincent Campos, former public diplomacy officer at the US State Department, told Rudaw on Monday. “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.”
In response to an email from Rudaw, a State Department spokesperson on Sunday asserted Washington’s staunch opposition to the law, labeling it a “deeply unhelpful step” and explaining that its passage would empower pro-Iran militias in Iraq that have attacked US forces.
Amerli said they are determined to pass the law despite opposition.
“We have completed the procedures and the first and second readings, and God willing, soon there will be a vote on the PMF law. We will not care about any external threat, whether from America or anyone else, regarding Iraq. We are the decision-makers regarding the PMF law, and it will pass, God willing, soon,” he stated.
Falih al-Khazali, another Iraqi lawmaker and PMF leader, told Rudaw on Monday that they reject US intervention.
"We reject American interventions, especially regarding the issuance of laws that protect our security institutions. We believe that issuing the PMF law means transferring this force to institutional work... We insist on passing this bill and call on all political forces to cooperate as a gesture of loyalty to the martyrs' blood,” he said.
Kurds are reluctant to endorse the bill.
Jamal Kochar, a Kurdish member of the Iraqi parliament, told Rudaw on Monday that the bill seeks more legitimacy for armed factions operating outside the state control.
"The US has made clear and explicit threats against passing this bill. This [bill] would grant legitimacy to groups outside the state and allocate a massive budget to them. There are several places in Iraq that even the Prime Minister [Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani] cannot visit, like Jurf al-Sakhar [near Baghdad]... Therefore, in our view, this matter is very sensitive, and the first to be harmed will be Shiites, Sunnis, and Kurds,” he warned.
Steven Fagin, charge d’affaires of the US embassy in Baghdad, met with the Iraqi parliament’s First Deputy Speaker Muhsin al-Mandalawi on Sunday, where he “reiterated U.S. concerns with two proposed PMC/PMF bills,” the embassy said on X.
Mandalawi’s office did not mention the PMF bill in its own statement, which broadly discussed bilateral cooperation and regional security.
The PMF is composed of various armed factions, including groups designated as terrorist organizations by the US. Among them is Asaib Ahl al-Haq (AAH), whose leader Qais al-Khazali is a senior member of the Shiite-led Coordination Framework, a key component of Iraq’s governing coalition. In March, AAH and the State of Law Coalition boycotted a parliamentary session after the PMF bill was excluded from the agenda, forcing its postponement.
Halkawt Aziz contributed to this article.
Updated at 3:52 pm
