Popular Mobilization Forces

Popular Mobilization Forces
الحشد الشعبي
al-Ḥashd ash-Shaʿbī
Active15 June 2014 – present[1]
CountryIraq
Allegiance Iraq
 Iran (alleged,[2][3][4][5] certain groups[A])
BranchParamilitary[6]
RoleCounter-insurgency
Raiding
Urban warfare
Size60,000 (2014)[2]
230,000 (PMF claim)[7]
Part ofIraqi Armed Forces[8][9]
Engagements
Websiteal-hashed.gov.iq
Commanders
Commander-in-chiefMohammed Shia' Al Sudani
PMC ChairmanFalih Al-Fayyadh
Chief of StaffAbu Fadak al-Mohammadawi
Notable fightersAbu Azrael
Abu Tahsin al-Salihi
Insignia
Patch
SpokesmanAhmed Al Asadi
Dates of operation15 June 2014–present[1]
Group(s)See Structure
HeadquartersBaghdad
Active regionsInternational
In Syria:
Aleppo Governorate
Deir ez-Zor Governorate
IdeologyFactions:
Shia Islamism
Islamic unity (claimed)[10][11]
Anti-Sunnism[12][13]
Anti-West[14]
Anti-LGBT[15]
Political positionRight-wing[2]
AlliesState allies

Non-state allies

OpponentsState opponents

Non-state opponents

Designated as a terrorist group byCertain pro-Iran militant groups only:

The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF; (Arabic: قوات الحشد الشعبي, romanized: Quwwāt al-Ḥashd ash-Shaʿbī),[39] also known as the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) is an Iraqi state-sponsored paramilitary network composed of about 67 primarily Shi’ie armed factions (some of which are Iranian-backed)[40][41] but which also include Sunni Muslim, Christian, and Yazidi groups.[42][43][44][45] The PMF were formed in 2014 and fought in nearly every major battle during the War in Iraq (2013–17) against Islamic State.[46] In December 2016, the Iraqi Council of Representatives legislated a law that created the Popular Mobilization Commission (PMC; Arabic: هيئة الحشد الشعبي), an independent governmental agency that includes all PMF groups. The law also stipulates that the agency is part of the Iraqi armed forces and reports directly to the Prime Minister.[47]

Many of its main militias that belong to the Shia faction trace their origins to the "Special Groups", Iranian-sponsored Shi'ie groups that previously fought in the Iraqi insurgency against the United States and the Coalition forces, as well as a sectarian conflict against Sunni Jihadist and Ba'athist insurgents.[42][48] It has been labeled the new Iraqi Republican Guard after it was fully reorganized in early 2018 by its then Commander-in-chief Haider al-Abadi, previous Prime Minister of Iraq, who issued "regulations to adapt the situation of the Popular Mobilization fighters".[49]

Some of its component militias which are pro-Iran are considered terrorist groups by some states and have been accused of promoting sectarian violence.[50][51][52] Pro-Iran organizations in the PMF include the Badr Organisation, Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, Kata'ib Hezbollah, Kata’ib al-Imam Ali, Saraya Khorasani, etc.[11] During the 2019–2021 Iraqi protests, the pro-Iran groups were responsible for killing and wounding large numbers of protesters and activists.[53][54][55][56][57] Pro-Iran PMF groups have also fought against pro-Sistani and Sadrist PMF groups, and their increasing rivalry erupted into violent clashes in 2022.[58][59] Since 2020, Iranian-backed PMF groups have launched attacks against American and allied forces in the region, claiming them under the name "Islamic Resistance in Iraq".[60][61][62][2][3][4][5]

  1. ^ a b al Khadimi, Mustafa (12 March 2015). "Will Sistani be able to control popular mobilization forces?". Al-Monitor. Archived from the original on 13 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d "The Popular Mobilization Forces and Iraq's Future". carnegieendowment.org. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
  3. ^ a b "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
  4. ^ a b "A Look at Iraq's Competing Shiite Armed Factions and Parties, Many Iran-Aligned". Voice of America. 2024-02-18. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
  5. ^ a b Qaed, Anas Al (2023-06-09). "Iraq's PMF Wants to Be Iran's IRGC". Gulf International Forum. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
  6. ^ "More Than Militias: Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces Are Here to Stay". warontherocks.com. April 3, 2018. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  7. ^ "The Iraqi militias are copying their overmighty cousins in Iran". The Economist. 8 June 2023. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  8. ^ Mamouri, Ali (July 2, 2019). "Iraq orders militias to fully integrate into state security forces". Al-Monitor. Archived from the original on December 1, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  9. ^ Mamouri, Ali (July 8, 2019). "Shiite militias react angrily to decree integrating them into Iraqi forces". Al-Monitor. Archived from the original on July 10, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  10. ^ "The Sunnis of Iraq's "Shia" Paramilitary Powerhouse". THE CENTURY FOUNDATION. 20 February 2020.
  11. ^ a b Derszi-Horvath, Gaston, Saleh, Andras, Erica, Bahra (16 August 2017). "Who's Who: Quick Facts About Local and Sub-State Forces". Global Public Policy Institute. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ Abdulrazaq, Tallha (2023-01-05). "The Iraq Report: Missing Sunnis an admission of 'war crimes'". The New Arab. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  13. ^ "2.2. Sunni Arabs". European Union Agency for Asylum. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  14. ^ "Part 2: Pro-Iran Militias in Iraq". Wilson Center. April 27, 2018. Archived from the original on September 16, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  15. ^ "Militants use social media to lure, kill gay Iraqi men". 24 September 2016. Archived from the original on 31 October 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  16. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-08-09. Retrieved 2020-07-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  17. ^ "10 معلومات قد لا تعرفها عن قوات الباسيج الإيرانية". 28 April 2019. Archived from the original on 2020-08-16. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
  18. ^ "These Funky North Korean Guns Are Turning Up Everywhere". War is Boring. 1 December 2016 – via Medium.com.
  19. ^ "المالكي يكشف تفاصيل جديدة عن سقوط الموصل ويسمي دولتين "فتحت الخزين" - اوروك نيوز". Archived from the original on 2020-07-02. Retrieved 2020-07-02.
  20. ^ "روسيا تجهز فصائل الحشد الشعبي باسلحة متطورة لمواجهة القوات التركية – ALJOURNAL NEWS – وكالة اخبار الجورنال". www.aljournal.com.[permanent dead link‍]
  21. ^ "المهندس يكشف دور ايران وحزب الله بدعم العراق ويتحدث عن القتال بسوريا". Archived from the original on 2017-05-11. Retrieved 2020-05-09.
  22. ^ "المالكي وصناعة مليشيات العراق.. دور أساسي يكشفه أحد المنشقين | الخليج أونلاين". Archived from the original on 2020-07-31. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
  23. ^ "تنسيق بين قسد والميليشيات العراقية على الحدود السورية (فيديو)". أورينت نت. Archived from the original on 2020-01-02. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
  24. ^ "الإعلاميّ العراقيّ عبد الأمير العبودي: من حقّ ائتلاف 14 فبراير أن يكون لديه مكاتب سياسيّة". 31 December 2018. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  25. ^ "معسكرات ائتلاف 14 فبراير.. مخطط إرهابي إيراني يستهدف أمن البحرين عبر العراق". Archived from the original on 2020-08-01. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
  26. ^ "الحشد الشعبي يكشف حقيقة ارساله قوات خاصة للمشاركة في حرب اليمن". Archived from the original on 2020-08-09. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
  27. ^ "العراق و معسكرات تدريب مخربي البحرين و السعودية". 4 December 2013. Archived from the original on 23 December 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  28. ^ "Baghdad, Erbil to finalize new Sinjar security plan". Archived from the original on 2021-04-15. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  29. ^ "Iraq Blasts Alleged Israeli Air Strike in Syria on Forces 'Fighting ISIS'". Haaretz. June 19, 2018. Archived from the original on November 21, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  30. ^ ""الطريقة النقشبندية بالعراق":جيش الطريقة حمي أهل السنة من إرهاب ميلشيات الحشد الشعبى". امان. Archived from the original on 2020-01-02. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
  31. ^ < "سليماني يقود "الحشد الشعبي" على الحدود العراقية – السورية - صحيفة الاتحاد". Al-Ittihad.
  32. ^ Rivera, Esteban (2019-06-04) [15 November 2014]. "Syrian Islamic Front (Syria)". Flags of the World. CRW Flags. Archived from the original on 2020-04-28. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  33. ^ "بالصور..اكتشاف أنفاق خلال حملة ضد الرايات البيض في طوزخورماتو - قناة العالم الاخبارية". www.alalam.ir. Archived from the original on 2022-01-08. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
  34. ^ "Ansar al Islam claims first attack in Iraq since 2014 | FDD's Long War Journal". 31 October 2019. Archived from the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  35. ^ "Beware Iran's 'Axis of Resistance' | People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK)". Archived from the original on 2021-10-31. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
  36. ^ Lawrence, John (26 May 2015). "Iraq Situation Report: May 23–25, 2015". understandingwar.org. Institute for the Study of War. Archived from the original on 3 January 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2015. See paragraph 5 of the report.
  37. ^ "مجلس الوزراء يعتمد قائمة التنظيمات الإرهابية. | WAM". November 17, 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-11-17.
  38. ^ "カタイブ・ヒズボラ（KH） | 国際テロリズム要覧（Web版） | 公安調査庁". March 2, 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-03-02.
  39. ^ "Iraq: Legislating the Status of the Popular Mobilization Forces". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  40. ^ "The Popular Mobilization Force is turning Iraq into an Iranian client state". Brookings. Retrieved 2024-10-01.
  41. ^ "Popular Mobilisation Units and Tribal Mobilisation Militias". European Union Agency for Asylum.
  42. ^ a b "Islamic State: The caliphate strikes back". The Economist. 23 May 2015. Archived from the original on 26 May 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  43. ^ Cite error: The named reference Carnegie28Apr17 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  44. ^ "Who's Who: Quick Facts About Local and Sub-State Forces". www.gppi.net. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
  45. ^ "زيادة أعداد عناصر الحشد الشعبي في العراق "تقلق" البعض.. لماذا؟ | Irfaasawtak". www.irfaasawtak.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  46. ^ El-Ghobashy, Tamer; Salim, Mustafa (2017-12-15). "Top Iraqi Shiite cleric calls for scaling back militia influence, backing prime minister". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2017-12-17. Retrieved 2017-12-17.
  47. ^ "PMC law of 2016". Ministry of Justice.
  48. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  49. ^ O'Connor, Tom (March 9, 2018). "Iran-backed militias officially join Iraqi military and threaten U.S. troops". Newsweek. Archived from the original on January 2, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  50. ^ Cite error: The named reference Parker Landay 2016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  51. ^ al-Khadhimi, Mustafa (22 December 2014). "Iraqi volunteers' victories don't justify atrocities". Al-Monitor. Archived from the original on 2021-01-11. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  52. ^ "Iraq's Abadi in high-stakes plan to rein in Iranian-backed militias". The Jerusalem Post. 2018-01-04. Archived from the original on 2020-11-09. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  53. ^ Arraf, Jane (2021-09-18). "'There Is Chaos': Iran-Backed Militias Battle Activists in a Holy Iraqi City". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2021-11-08. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
  54. ^ "Iraq: HRW denounces lethal force against protesters, urges probe". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 2021-10-31. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
  55. ^ "Exclusive: Iran-backed militias deployed snipers in Iraq protests – sources". Reuters. 2019-10-17. Archived from the original on 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
  56. ^ "Pro-Iran militia supporters converge on Baghdad protests". the Guardian. 2019-12-05. Archived from the original on 2021-10-20. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
  57. ^ "The Ongoing Assassinations of Iraqi Activists". The Washington Institute. Archived from the original on 2021-10-31. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
  58. ^ Mansour, A Jabar, Renad, Faleh (28 April 2017). "The Popular Mobilization Forces and Iraq's Future". Carnegie Middle East Center. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  59. ^ Berg, Bateman, Raffi, Tom (30 August 2022). "Iraq: At least 23 dead amid fighting after Moqtada al-Sadr quits". BBC News. Archived from the original on 30 August 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  60. ^ Hamdi Malik; Michael Knights (21 October 2023). "Profile: The Islamic Resistance of Iraq". The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
  61. ^ Dana Taib Menmy; Oliver Mizzi (8 November 2023). "Who is the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, the mysterious group attacking US and Israeli targets over Gaza?". The New Arab.
  62. ^ "Iran Update, November 3, 2023". Institute for the Study of War. 2023-11-03. Retrieved 2023-11-12.


Cite error: There are <ref group=upper-alpha> tags or {{efn-ua}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=upper-alpha}} template or {{notelist-ua}} template (see the help page).