Iraq’s Coalition of Service leader calls for swift passage of Popular Mobilization law

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The head of Iraq’s Hizmetler İttifakı (Coalition of Service) political bloc, Shibl al-Zaidi, has called for the rapid passage of legislation governing the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and for weapons to be consolidated under the authority of the state. In a written statement, al-Zaidi urged "all rational parties" to approve, strengthen, develop and equip the PMF through the proposed law, while bringing the paramilitary organization into a formal legal order. He said the legislation should be drafted in a way that does not undermine the PMF’s faith-based character and intellectual orientation. Al-Zaidi stressed that weapons must remain a monopoly of the Iraqi state, warning that failure to do so would threaten sectarian unity, disrupt domestic peace and obstruct the establishment of a strong state. He added that the proliferation of arms poses a serious obstacle to building societal stability and cohesion. The appeal comes amid continuing political debate in Iraq over the legal status of the PMF, a state-affiliated paramilitary force that was formally integrated into the Iraqi security apparatus in 2016.