Iraqi government battle against Iran-backed militias enters new phase
The battle to rein in armed militias outside state control has been a long and challenging process, but the Iraqi prime minister is gathering political support for his efforts.
A year ago on July 1, then Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi issued a decree ordering the factions of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) to integrate fully into the state security forces.
A year later, they not only have not been integrated but are again resisting demands to assimilate with state security services, challenging the Iraqi government in multiple ways.
Previous efforts by Haider al-Abadi, who preceded Abdul Mahdi as prime minister, also failed. The PMU law Abadi introduced to parliament was approved, but he was unable to implement it.
Like his predecessors, current Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has given priority to dealing with this crucial problem. But some of the PMUs are digging in against him.
