The US is trying to “obstruct” a new law that is being considered by Iraq’s parliament, according to Abu Alaa al-Walai, the Shi’ite leader of pro-Iranian militia Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS).
“The US Chargé d’Affaires is pushing to obstruct the Popular Mobilization [Forces law],” Iraq-based Shafaq News news site reported.
KSS is one of the numerous and powerful pro-Iranian militias that are part of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).
The PMF is an Iraqi paramilitary force whose salaries are often paid by the Iraqi government, but they also include numerous militias that work for Iran.
Although he was not named in the Shafaq report, it appears Walai was referring to US Ambassador Steven H. Fagin, who assumed his duties as Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Baghdad this past May.
Although he was not named in the Shafaq report, it appears Walai was referring to US Ambassador Steven H. Fagin, who assumed his duties as Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Baghdad this past May.
Iraq must not neglect the PMF and its various groups, Shafaq News quoted Walai as saying. The PMF are “the makers of security and the bearers of the homeland,” he said, adding that “the decline of the threat of terrorism and the decline of the security threat should not be a reason to ignore it.”
The PMF plays an important role in Iraq
Walai believes the US Embassy is working against the new law, and passing the law would be a “strong response” to the US pressure, Shafaq News reported.
The PMF plays an important role in Iraq. The Kurdistan Regional Government recently accused factions within the PMF of carrying out drone attacks. There have been numerous drone attacks in Iraq since the Iran-Israel conflict ended on June 24.
The issue of the PMF is important in Iraq. While some voices have called to disarm the militias and have accused them of drone attacks, others want to see the PMF receive more powers and be more enshrined via legislation in the Iraqi government.
“Passing the Popular Mobilization law is a top priority for the Coordination Framework forces within Parliament,” an Iraqi member of parliament recently said, adding that “the technical and legal procedures related to it, especially the law structuring it, have been fully completed,” Shafaq News reported.
The argument is that the new legislation should be put on the agenda in the new session of parliament. There has been a delay in passing the law.
“It is noteworthy that the draft law on the Popular Mobilization Forces is one of the issues that receives great attention within political and popular circles, given its role in regulating the affairs of this institution and guaranteeing the rights of its members,” Iraq-based Al-Maalomah news site reported.
The PMF emerged during the war against ISIS. Many Shi’ites joined militias in 2014 after a fatwa from Iraqi cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. As many as 250,000 people eventually joined the PMF.
There are some 70 different militias within the PMF. Some of them have attacked Israel and US forces. Kataib Hezbollah, for instance, is one of the key Iranian-linked militias in Iraq that has killed Americans and also used drones to attack other countries.
“In 2016, the Iraqi parliament passed a previous law to establish a legal framework for the PMF during the fight against ISIS,” Rudaw media in northern Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Region reported. “However, the law only contained three articles, leaving many crucial details unaddressed, leading to ambiguity regarding the PMF’s functioning and its integration into Iraq’s broader security forces.”
A new “service and retirement law” was pushed in 2025 to enshrine more rights for PMF members, the report said.
“The approval of the new Popular Mobilization Forces bill is part of broader efforts to reform Iraq’s security institutions,” Rudaw reported in February. The goal has been to make the PMF a fully official force in Iraq.
“However, in mid-March, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani withdrew the draft from consideration due to ongoing political infighting and disagreements over its provisions between Shi’ite political blocs,” the report said.