Iraqi adviser says PMF’s future to be decided after elections amid reform talks

BAGHDAD — Khalid Al-Yaqubi, an adviser to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, said the future of Iraq’s Shia militias operating under the Popular Mobilization Forces will be settled through security sector reforms and decisions expected after the Nov. 11 elections.

In an interview with Al-Hadath TV, Al-Yaqubi said, “Regarding the repositioning of the factions, each one calls it in its own way. Throughout the talks with the Americans, we were thinking together because we faced the enemy together, and we discussed three points.”

He added, “Regarding the law of the Popular Mobilization and the factions, we have a high committee for security sector reform and to address all the deficiencies in the security institutions, and the American side always provides consultations.”

The government pulled the Popular Mobilization Forces bill on Aug. 10 following warnings from rival political blocs and international partners. The proposal would have formalized the PMF as a permanent military institution with extensive operational, political, and financial authority.

Debate over the future of the PMF and other militias has intensified following the collapse of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime in Syria and the waning influence of Iran in the region. The PMF—a coalition of mostly Shia factions formed in 2014 to fight the Islamic State group—remains central to the discussion, though most of its constituent forces continue to reject disarmament efforts.

Some excerpts of Al-Yaqubi in his interview on Al-Hadath TV:

Regarding the repositioning of the factions [Iraqi Shia armed factions operating under the Popular Mobilization Forces], each one calls it in its own way. Throughout the talks with the Americans, we were thinking together because we faced the enemy together, and we discussed three points:

The threat of ISIS and its seriousness, and the assessment of that threat — whether it represents a real danger. The Iraqi military capabilities were part of the dialogue; neither Iraq nor the Americans want to repeat the experience of 2014, when there was a clear gap in joint cooperation and, We take into account the operational circumstances and the complexities in the region, such as the Turkish presence and armed groups in Syria. All of that was within the framework of dialogue and common interest.

Regarding the law of the Popular Mobilization and the factions, we have a high committee for security sector reform and to address all the deficiencies in the security institutions, and the American side always provides consultations.

We have open channels and hide nothing from the Americans, and any reform, handling, or action on Iraqi soil must go through the central Iraqi government.

We are waiting for decisive elections in Iraq’s history to define the features of the next twenty years of political life in Iraq. We are at the end of this government, and these major decisions have been postponed to the next period.

The fate of the factions depends on the security sector reform system, on the legislation of the Popular Mobilization law which faced many problems, and the circumstances in the region play a role. We are at the end of the government, and all political forces today are focused on the elections.