Members of the paramilitary Popular Mobilisation Forces take part in their graduation ceremony at a military camp in Karbala last month. Reuters
Members of the paramilitary Popular Mobilisation Forces take part in their graduation ceremony at a military camp in Karbala last month. Reuters

PMF's airforce ambitions could derail Iraq's progress



Even as bubbling tensions between Israel and the Iranian proxy Hezbollah have cooled off on one front, new battle lines between the two regional powers are being drawn in Iraq.

After a series of recent strikes on Popular Mobilisation Forces fighters, weapons depots and military bases by Israel, the Iran-backed militia has announced its intention to launch its own airforce. In arming itself in this way, the militia, made up of about 40 different factions, is threatening to become a force in its own right, with little control or accountability to the Iraqi state. This is a dangerous proposition that can only have dire consequences for the country as well as the wider region.

The PMF, also known as Hashed Al Shaabi, emerged in 2014 as part of the offensive battling the rise of ISIS after the fall of Mosul. However, several of the groupings under its umbrella pre-date ISIS, and have worked to undermine the Iraqi state.

The PMF paramilitaries fought alongside Iraqi security services and helped defeat the terrorist group. However, even though it has officially been under the command of the Iraqi government and its security forces for the past three years, some groups within the PMF still maintain direct ties with Tehran.

While Israel has not officially claimed responsibility for the strikes, its prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to seek out Iran-linked bases in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon and vowed to “do anything necessary to thwart Iran’s plans”. This is deeply concerning for the sovereignty of those countries, which already suffer from weak governance.

Meanwhile Tehran's militant influence has been infiltrating the porous 1,500-kilometre border with Iraq in multiple ways. Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has struggled to maintain control over the PMF, weakening his own position. Should the militia gain the ability to conduct aerial warfare, it will only enable the PMF to compete with and overshadow the government on an even bigger scale.

Last week’s visit to Russia by Iraqi politician and PMF chairman Falih Alfayyadh – reportedly in co-ordination with Mr Abdul Mahdi, who was in Moscow to discuss the possibility of acquiring air defence systems – demonstrates the significant role these militias play in national politics and, by extension, the influence of the Iranian regime. In fact, recent overtures by Iraq’s government to do business with Russia could be construed as reflective of a waning allegiance to the US, which has targeted four PMF leaders with sanctions.

The potential to strengthen itself with an airforce will give the PMF considerable military power, eclipsing even the armoury of Hezbollah and rendering it an Iraqi outpost of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Equally concerning are the threats made by Kataib Hezbollah, one of the more extreme factions making up the PMF, to strike American bases in Iraq if its warehouses continue to be targeted. The group warned it would react with a "decisive and harsh response".

Iraq is at risk of being turned into an active battleground once again as different powers wrestle for supremacy on its turf. This comes just three months after Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, which had been off limits to the public since the 2003 war, was dismantled and reopened to the public, a moment Iraqis had awaited for 16 years. Amid such initiatives to secure and sustain peace in Iraq, the recent escalation of tensions between the PMF on one side, and the US and its allies on the other, has the potential to erase whatever progress been made since the end of the war.

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
Financial considerations before buying a property

Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.

“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says. 

Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.

Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier. 

The alternatives

• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.

• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.

• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.

2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.

• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases -  but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.