Iraq's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday summoned Lebanon's ambassador, to voice its “discomfort” over statements made by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun about a paramilitary force backed by Baghdad.
The Popular Mobilisation Forces were formed after ISIS seized large parts of northern and western Iraq in mid-2014. As the terrorist group overran US-trained Iraqi security forces, thousands of civilians answered a call to arms by influential Shiite cleric Ali Al Sistani.
Several powerful Iraqi Shiite militias, backed by Iran, joined PMF ranks shortly after – some of which had been fighting alongside former president Bashar Al Assad's forces in Syria’s civil war. The PMF fought ISIS in parallel with the Iraqi military and was later officially recognised as part of the state's security forces.
During an interview with Al Araby Al Jadeed published on Wednesday, Mr Aoun said Lebanon would not emulate Iraq's integration of the PMF, when it came to enforcing the state's monopoly on weapons. Lebanon's new government is under pressure from the US and its allies to disarm Hezbollah and other militant groups.
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry “emphasised that the PMF is an integral part of Iraq's military and security framework”, state-run media reported.
The ministry said “linking the PMF to Lebanon's internal crisis was ill-advised and that Iraq should not have been dragged into Lebanon's domestic affairs or have its institutions used as examples in this context”.
