The US has stressed the urgent need to disarm Iran-backed militias in Iraq, saying they are putting the country's sovereignty, regional stability and American interests at risk.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised the issue during a phone call with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani, emphasising the importance of addressing the militias' activities.
Mr Rubio “highlighted the urgency in disarming Iran-backed militias that undermine Iraq’s sovereignty, threaten the lives and businesses of Americans and Iraqis, and pilfer Iraqi resources for Iran,” spokesman Tommy Pigott said on Tuesday.
The presence of Tehran-allied armed factions is one of the main points of contention between Baghdad and Washington. Most are running in next month's parliamentary elections.
Although many of them were established to fight American troops after the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime, their number and influence increased after the outbreak of Syria’s civil war in 2011 and the fight against ISIS from 2014 to 2017.
When ISIS swept through large parts of northern and western Iraq, US-trained security forces collapsed in a humiliating defeat. To face the advancing extremists, thousands of Shiite volunteers answered a call to arms from Iraq’s influential Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani.
At the time, the government of former prime minister Nouri Al Maliki had already formed the Popular Mobilisation Forces to organise and supervise the volunteers as parallel forces. Shortly after its formation, several powerful Iran-backed Shiite militias joined the PMF. By then, some of them were fighting alongside Bashar Al Assad's forces in Syria’s civil war.
During the fight against ISIS, some of these militias were accused of human rights violations against civilians in Sunni areas. The Iraqi government and PMF acknowledged these violations as “individual acts”.
The US has blacklisted several PMF leaders in a bid to increase pressure on Iran's proxies in Iraq, sanctioning senior figures between 2019 and 2021 under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.
Since declaring ISIS defeated in late-2017, the PMF and Tehran-aligned militias have emerged as powerful forces in Iraq and grown more defiant towards the government and opposition groups.
Some of them have joined the political process, competing in two national elections, with members assuming senior posts in government such as minister of higher education and minister of labour affairs.
The current government – led by Mr Sudani – is backed by the Co-ordination Framework, the largest political group in parliament, made up of representatives of pro-Tehran militias and political parties.
The US has long warned that the PMF is strengthening Iran’s influence and undermining Iraq’s sovereignty. Many of them launched attacks against US troops in Iraq and Syria, as well as Israel.
Under pressure from the US and other foreign powers, the Iraqi government also withdrew a contentious draft law in August, which aimed to widen the PMF's powers and elevate its status to be on a par with the rest of the Iraqi military.
During the call, Mr Rubio also discussed finalising US commercial deals in Iraq and congratulated Mr Al Sudani on resuming oil exports through the Iraq-Turkey Pipeline, a move expected to benefit both countries and American businesses.
Mr Rubio reiterated Washington's commitment to working “closely with Iraqi partners to advance our shared interests: safeguarding Iraqi sovereignty, bolstering regional stability and strengthening our economic ties”.
Mr Sudani on Monday said US troops would remain at the Ain Al Asad base to support operations against ISIS in Syria, despite an agreement that stipulated that they should have departed last month. On the same day, US President Donald Trump named a new envoy to Iraq, in a sign of increasing American interest in the country.
