Iraq's militias require two months to fully integrate into the military after an order issued by the country's prime minister, Falih Al Fayyadh, the chairman of their umbrella group, said on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi issued a decree earlier this month to curb the powers of influential Iranian-backed Shiite militias, which was seen as a political move aimed at reassuring the United States.
The militias fall under the umbrella of Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), a collection of mostly Shiite militias that fought ISIS and were incorporated into the Iraqi armed forces in 2016.
“As instructed, the offices of the Popular Mobilisation Forces will shut down across the country,” Mr Fayyadh said during a press conference.
“The process will take two months to complete and will be in favour of the forces,” he said.
Mr Al Fayyadh said that he has completed a structure that is consistent with the orders announced by the premier.
Mr Abdul Mahdi has set a tight deadline of July 31 for the militias to comply, but the government will have to take the decree's enforcement seriously if it is to have any effect.
In a decree a few weeks ago, Mr Abdul Mahdi said the offices of the militias that operate independently within or outside Iraqi cities will be closed and any armed factions working “openly or secretly” against the new guidelines will be considered illegal.
The militias, which helped Iraqi and US-led international coalition forces drive out ISIS have a broad influence in Iraqi politics.
Together, they number more than 140,000 fighters, and while they fall under the authority of Iraq’s prime minister, the PMF’s top heads are politically aligned with Iran.
Washington has been pushing Baghdad to rein in the Iranian-backed paramilitary group, which it says poses a threat to US interests in Iraq.
Fears have escalated that Iraq could be a potential arena for violent regional confrontation between Washington and Tehran because of the presence of the militias that have been reportedly operating in close proximity to military bases hosting US forces.
Several unclaimed attacks on bases in Iraq that are hosting US forces and on a site used by a US energy firm were carried out last month. Local officials blamed the militias for one of the incidents, but Iran has not commented.
Tensions between the two comes after the imposition of US sanctions on Tehran last year because of its nuclear activities and a series of attacks against tankers in the Gulf that Washington blames on Iran.
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What you as a drone operator need to know
A permit and licence is required to fly a drone legally in Dubai.
Sanad Academy is the United Arab Emirate’s first RPA (Remotely Piloted Aircraft) training and certification specialists endorsed by the Dubai Civil Aviation authority.
It is responsible to train, test and certify drone operators and drones in UAE with DCAA Endorsement.
“We are teaching people how to fly in accordance with the laws of the UAE,” said Ahmad Al Hamadi, a trainer at Sanad.
“We can show how the aircraft work and how they are operated. They are relatively easy to use, but they need responsible pilots.
“Pilots have to be mature. They are given a map of where they can and can’t fly in the UAE and we make these points clear in the lectures we give.
“You cannot fly a drone without registration under any circumstances.”
Larger drones are harder to fly, and have a different response to location control. There are no brakes in the air, so the larger drones have more power.
The Sanad Academy has a designated area to fly off the Al Ain Road near Skydive Dubai to show pilots how to fly responsibly.
“As UAS technology becomes mainstream, it is important to build wider awareness on how to integrate it into commerce and our personal lives,” said Major General Abdulla Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief, Dubai Police.
“Operators must undergo proper training and certification to ensure safety and compliance.
“Dubai’s airspace will undoubtedly experience increased traffic as UAS innovations become commonplace, the Forum allows commercial users to learn of best practice applications to implement UAS safely and legally, while benefitting a whole range of industries.”
SANCTIONED
- Kirill Shamalov, Russia's youngest billionaire and previously married to Putin's daughter Katarina
- Petr Fradkov, head of recently sanctioned Promsvyazbank and son of former head of Russian Foreign Intelligence, the FSB.
- Denis Bortnikov, Deputy President of Russia's largest bank VTB. He is the son of Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB which was responsible for the poisoning of political activist Alexey Navalny in August 2020 with banned chemical agent novichok.
- Yury Slyusar, director of United Aircraft Corporation, a major aircraft manufacturer for the Russian military.
- Elena Aleksandrovna Georgieva, chair of the board of Novikombank, a state-owned defence conglomerate.
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