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Iraq

Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces Face Withdrawals

2025-09-01

[ALESTIKLAL] Amid mounting pressure from Washington on Baghdad to disband the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), several figures and factions have announced their withdrawal from the predominantly Shiite militia for various reasons, raising questions over whether this marks the beginning of the group’s unraveling.

The PMF was formed in 2014 in response to the territorial advances of the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems....
, which at the time controlled roughly a third of Iraq. Its creation followed a "defensive jihad" fatwa issued by Iraq’s highest Shiite holy man, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, in Najaf.

Some 70 mainly Iran-aligned Shiite militias were integrated into the PMF, which Western governments often accuse of serving as Tehran’s proxy in Iraq.

With its mission ostensibly completed following the defeat of the Islamic State, calls for its dissolution have resurfaced.

REPEATED WITHDRAWALS
In the wake of what it described as a "fissure," the Kata’ib Hezbollah militia announced on August 4, 2025 that it was withdrawing from the areas encircling Baghdad and handing over all its equipment and positions to the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), noting that the move was intended to pre-empt attempts at smear campaigns and reputational attacks.

The announcement followed armed festivities on July 27, 2025 between security forces and members of the PMF’s 45th and 46th brigades, both affiliated with Kata’ib Hezbollah.

The festivities were triggered by the replacement of the director-general of a department in Baghdad’s Ministry of Agriculture, previously aligned with Kata’ib Hezbollah under the leadership of Abu Hussein (Mohsen Mohamdawi), with a figure linked to the militia Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, headed by Qais al-Khazali.

Iraq’s Security Media Cell issued a statement announcing that security forces had arrested 14 suspects.

Upon verifying their identities, authorities confirmed that the detainees belonged to the two brigades of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) previously mentioned, and they were referred to the judiciary for legal proceedings.

For the first time, the government explicitly named Kata’ib Hezbollah. In a statement released on August 10, 2025, it said, "The armed elements responsible for this breach belong to the Iraqi Hezbollah formation and are affiliated with the 45th and 46th brigades of the Popular Mobilization Forces."

The office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani announced the dismissal of the commanders of the two brigades over their involvement in the attack on the Ministry of Agriculture site in Baghdad, which included the use of weapons against security personnel and resulted in fatalities and injuries, some of them civilians.

In a further development, senior Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) figure Shaker Mahmoud al-Tamimi, known as "Abu Turab," announced his permanent withdrawal from the group, vowing never to return.

He cited his intention to run in the parliamentary elections scheduled for November 11, 2025 as the reason for his departure.

In an early August television interview, al-Tamimi stated that he had left the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) permanently and "will never return."

He warned that certain actors were exploiting the name of the group, "which has been harmed from both inside and outside," while promising to reveal all relevant facts in the coming days.

Al-Tamimi, known as "Abu Turab" and affiliated with the Badr militia led by Hadi al-Amiri, confirmed that al-Amiri would be their candidate for prime minister in the post-election period.

He also indicated that he would not hesitate to seek a ministerial position in the next Iraqi government.

Al-Tamimi’s withdrawal from the military formation to contest elections marks an unprecedented move.

Until now, the head of the PMF, Faleh al-Fayyad, has remained in office despite leading the political movement Ata’a, participating in every election since 2014, and maintaining parliamentary representation.

ROLE EXCHANGE
On the motivations behind the recent withdrawals and their possible link to U.S. pressure, Iraqi affairs researcher Hamid al-Obaidi suggested that "even if Kata’ib Hezbollah announces its withdrawal, there is nothing to prove it, because the Popular Mobilization Forces are entirely under their control. The chief of staff, Abd al-Aziz Malluh Mirjirash al-Muhammadawi (Abu Fadak), is one of their most prominent leaders."

Al-Obaidi added to al-Estiklal that "the individuals arrested by the government and said to belong to Kata’ib Hezbollah within the PMF were not shown clearly; their faces were blurred."

This, he argued, "raises serious doubts that they could be released at any moment, since such discretion is not applied to everyone detained on security or terrorism-related cases."

Iraqi political analyst Wael Hazem argued that "the U.S. has essentially bargained with the Shiite Coordination Framework: either hand over weapons and disband the militias, or risk losing power. Any rational actor within the framework will weigh retaining political influence against giving up arms."

Hazem told local al-Fallujah television that "in the coming days, we are likely to hear that many factions will announce withdrawals from the Popular Mobilization Forces, citing disagreements with the prime minister, and claiming loyalty to the state while surrendering their weapons to it."

"Other armed factions have quietly withdrawn without making announcements and are moving to participate in the political process through the upcoming parliamentary elections," Hazem added.

From a broader perspective, former MP and Iraqi politician Mithal al-Alusi argued that claims of a split within the ruling Shiite Coordination Framework over disarmament are inaccurate.

He stressed that the position remains unified due to "shared leadership, loyalty, and subordination," as well as an internal "distribution of roles."

Local news agency Shafaq News quoted al-Alusi on August 10, 2025, saying, "The Iraqi government, under al-Sudani, is trying to convince the U.S. administration that it is serious about controlling uncontrolled weapons and dismantling illegal militias, but Washington still considers these arms as Iranian and executing terrorist missions."

"The Coordination Framework and al-Sudani are attempting to present themselves as a reliable political ally to the United States in Iraq," noting that "the U.S. position, supported by the UK, does not tolerate any direct or indirect Iranian influence within the country."

"Washington regards the presence of uncontrolled weapons as a means for Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate ~~Jews~~ ~~Zionists~~ Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
to impose its will on Iraq’s political process. It believes that successive prime ministers were selected with Iranian consent, but that era is over. The next phase must see the formation of a government with a parliamentary majority, free from foreign interference," al-Alusi added.

Posted by:Fred

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