Iraq has approved a controversial law regarding the Popular Mobilisation Forces and referred it to parliament for voting as US forces concluded their mission in the country.
The PMF, also known as Hashd Al Shaabi, is an umbrella organisation of mostly Shiite paramilitary groups integrated into state security, with several factions backed by Iran. The groups were formed during Iraq's war against ISIS.
“The cabinet voted in favour of the Popular Mobilisation Forces bill. It approved referring the bill to parliament for a vote, in accordance with constitutional provisions,” Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi’s office said.
If passed, it would further legitimise the PMF as a permanent national security institution by providing benefits that would position them on equal footing with other state military institutions.
The current draft was approved by the government of former prime minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani in February 2025. It was stalled due to disputes over retirement provisions and US opposition.
Washington says the bill undermines Iraq’s sovereignty and entrenches Iranian influence over politics and security. The bill was expected to elevate the PMF, which was established in 2014 to help fight ISIS, to a status on par with the rest of the Iraqi military.
Some of Iraq's Shiite militias, backed by Iran, have joined its ranks. Many of its factions have been accused of human rights abuse against civilians, which the government and the PMF have acknowledged as “individual acts”.
Washington has long criticised the PMF, accusing some factions of operating outside state control and targeting American interests in Iraq and Syria.
The US blacklisted senior PMF leaders between 2019 and 2021 to increase pressure on Iranian groups in Iraq. The list included PMF chairman Faleh Al Fayyadh, under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.
An Iraqi official told The National that “the law will give the PMF a permanent, legally protected status as a parallel armed institution inside the Iraqi state”.
“This is a dangerous move; it would further tighten Iran's grip on Iraq,” he said.
The move comes as the US formally ended its military mission to Iraq, bringing to an end 23 years of various forms of American presence.
In 2014, the PMF was formed shortly after ISIS took over parts of northern and western Iraq. Its establishment was due to the collapse of Iraqi forces and the call to arms by Shiite cleric Ali Al Sistani.
To address domestic and international concerns, the Iraqi parliament passed a law in 2016 to regulate the PMF and bring it under the control of the prime minister, who is also commander-in-chief of the national armed forces. However, the legislation had minimal detail on the force’s terms of employment and administrative structure.
