Iraq's Popular Mobilization Law Debate

The draft law on Iraq's Popular Mobilization Commission is back in the spotlight

once again, amid insistence from its supporters and

ongoing American rejection. The Iraqi Parliament had passed the PMF law

in 2016, but it lacked

organizational and structural details, while the current draft adds

amendments defining the role of the PMF in the country. These

amendments were submitted by the parliamentary coalition that was

led by former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, backed

by Shia forces. Most of these forces are pro-Iran factions pushing

to enact the law, which is supposed to legislate

new provisions regarding the recruitment of fighters and factions.

However, Washington strongly rejected the bill, saying it would lead

to entrenching Iranian influence and armed groups that

undermine Iraq's sovereignty. Following the US veto,

the vote on the law was postponed during the previous parliamentary session

and carried over to the current session, in conjunction with a campaign to restrict

Weapons in the hands of the state led by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali

al-Zaidi. Therefore, it was necessary to amend the PMF law

and restructure it, as well as organize the mechanism

of its operations. One of the issues that sparked a major dispute

within

the Coordination Framework is the retirement age of the commission's head, as

the Iraqi retirement law sets the age of 60

for retirement, while the head of the

PMF Commission, Falih al-Fayyadh, exceeds the legal age.