Pro-Iran PMU factions prepare for electoral battle in Iraq
Segments of the Popular Mobilization Units close to Iran are forming an alliance to participate in Iraq's upcoming elections.
As the Iraqi parliamentary elections set for May draw nearer, many Iraqis are concerned about the potential participation of a coalition of pro-Iran political and military movements.
Ahmed al-Asadi, the secretary-general of Kata'ib Jund al-Imam (Imam's Soldiers' Battalions), announced Nov. 28 the launch of the Mujahedeen Coalition. The alliance comprises the main political factions whose volunteers and leaders helped form the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Units (PMU). Asadi also announced he was resigning as PMU spokesman to instead serve as the Mujahedeen Coalition's spokesman.
He said the coalition includes “political figures who will defend the Iraqis in the political process by selecting popular cadres" that helped defeat the Islamic State (IS). This comes despite Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's recent statement that representatives of armed groups will not be allowed to participate in the elections. To conform to that requirement — or as some believe, to skirt the rule — some PMU military leaders such as Asadi have been resigning their positions to enter politics.
Naim al-Abudi, a spokesman for Asaib Ahl al-Haq, told Al-Monitor the names of some of the forces participating in this coalition. In addition to his group, the coalition is to include major PMU factions such as the Badr Organization and the Hezbollah Brigades. Media reports also say numerous other factions close to Iran have joined the coalition.
