Iraqi MP seeks return of Popular Mobilization service, retirement bill to cabinet

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi parliament member Falih al-Khazali said he has formally requested that a draft law regulating service and retirement conditions for the Popular Mobilization Forces be returned to the cabinet agenda. Speaking at a press conference at the Prime Minister's building, Khazali said he submitted the request to Prime Minister Abdelfattah al-Ali al-Zaydi. Khazali argued that the draft is consistent with the legislation governing the establishment of the Popular Mobilization Forces and should be reviewed within the framework of the government's reform program and the integration of security forces. He said the bill would clarify the Forces' working arrangements and the status of their personnel. In March 2025, then-Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani withdrew the draft service and retirement law from parliament in an effort to ease political disputes. The withdrawal followed concerns that its inclusion on the parliamentary agenda had been preventing sessions from being held. No further details on the cabinet's expected response to Khazali's request were immediately available.