The Popular Mobilization Forces

The Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq (al-Ḥashd al-Shaʿbī) (Arabic: الحَشْد الشَعبي) is a military force in Iraq that supports the country’s army under the supervision of the Commander General of Iraqi Armed Forces. The group largely consists of Shi'a Muslims and was established during emergency response to the 2014 ISIS attack on Iraq. Following the issuance of a fatwa of jihad against ISIS by Sayyid 'Ali Sistani, a prominent Shiite authority, the group was legitimatized and strengthened.

Al-Hashd al-Sha'bi is comprised of more than forty military groups and over 100,000 forces, consisting of a diverse range of people including Shi'a and Sunni Muslims, Christians, Arabs, Turkmens, and Kurds. Among the groups that make up the Popular Mobilization Forces are the military wing of Badr Organization, Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, Kata'ib Hezbollah, and Saraya al-'Atabat.

The Popular Mobilization Forces played a crucial role in the fight against ISIS. Following the fall of ISIS, the organization focused on removing any remnants of ISIS and has also been active in providing social services. Similar to other military forces in Iraq, the Popular Mobilization Forces are prohibited from engaged in political activities as per their laws.

Both the US and Saudi Arabia have called for the dissolution of the Popular Mobilization Forces or its integration into the Iraqi Army. In 2019 and 2022, the US conducted attacks on the organization’s sites in Iraq. In contrast, the governments of Syria, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Hezbollah in Lebanon support the organization. Muqtada al-Sadr, a Shiite clergy and an Iraqi political activist, has also called for the integration of al-Hashd al-Sha'bi in the Iraqi army, while Sayyid Kazim al-Ha'iri, a Shiite authority, has declared that the independent Popular Mobilization Forces were necessary to protect the safety of Iraq.

Falih al-Fayyadh is the commander the Popular Mobilization Forces, while Hadi al-'Amiri serves as the deputy commander. Al-'Amiri took over as deputy after former deputy, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was martyred in a terrorist attack carried out by the US government, along with Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force in Iraq.

The Place

The Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq (al-Ḥashd al-Shaʿbī) is a military force in Iraq that supports the country’s army under the supervision of the Commander General of Iraqi Armed Forces. The group largely consists of Shi'a Muslims and was established during emergency response to the 2014 ISIS attack on Iraq. Following the issuance of a fatwa of jihad against ISIS by Sayyid 'Ali Sistani, a prominent Shiite authority, the group was legitimatized and strengthened.

Establishment

On June 10, 2014, the Iraqi Council of Ministers, led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, released a statement urging Iraqi citizens to volunteer for the formation of a popular mobilization force to combat terrorists. The statement was issued as ISIS dominated western, northern, and central areas of Iraq and had threatened Baghdad.

Sayyid 'Ali Sistani’s Fatwa of the Collective Obligation of Jihad

Main article: Fatwa of Jihad against ISIS

Three days after the Council of Ministers' statement on the formation of a popular mobilization force in response to the ISIS threat, Sayyid 'Ali al-Sistani, a prominent Iraq-based Shiite authority, issued a fatwa on June 13, 2014, declaring the fight against ISIS a collective obligation (al-wajib al-kifa'i). The fatwa was considered significant in legitimizing the Popular Mobilization Forces and encouraging people to join the organization. Some researchers even believe that the organization was established after al-Sistani’s fatwa.

Legal Legitimacy

After the Iraqi government approved the law of the "Popular Mobilization Organization" on November 26, 2016, the organization became an official military force in Iraq under the supervision of the Commander General of Iraqi Armed Forces. As an official military force, the Popular Mobilization Forces are subject to the laws and regulations as other armed forces in Iraq, including the prohibition of political activities.

Structure

The exact number of military groups within the Popular Mobilization Forces is unknown, with estimates ranging from 42 to 68. Likewise, there are varying accounts of the number of forces within the organization, ranging from 60,000 to 160,000. However, budgetary purposes, the Iraqi parliament has officially recognized 110,000 forces within the organization.

On some reports, in September 2021, the Poplar Mobilization Forces had approximately 130,000 members, including 90,000 Shiite Arabs, 30,000 Sunni Arabs, 7,000 Turkmens, and 3,000 Christians. Reportedly, there are Kurdish forces within the organization.

Falih al-Fayyad is the current commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces, while Hadi al-'Amiri serves as the deputy. Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis was the previous deputy of the organization, but he was martyred in a US government-led terrorist attack along with Qasem Soleimani, the commander of Iran's Quds Forces, in 2020. As per the law of the Popular Mobilization Organization approved by the Iraqi parliament, the appointment of its commanders is subject to the prime minister's recommendation and parliamentary approval, similar to other military forces. However, Executive Order No. 331, issued by the former prime minister of Iraq 'Adil 'Abd al-Mahdi, gives the head of the Popular Mobilization Organization the authority to propose its commanders and administrators on behalf of the prime minister, with their confirmation left to the Commander General of Armed Forces.

Here are some of the groups within the Popular Mobilization Forces:

• Badr Organization (military wing)
• 'Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq
• Kata'ib Hezbollah
• Saraya l-Khurasani
• Kata'ib Abul-Fadl al-'Abbas
• Saraya l-Atabat
• Liwa' 'Ali l-Akbar
• Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada
• Saraya l-Salam (the former Jaysh al-Mahdi)
• Saraya l-Jihad
• Saraya l-'Aqida
• Saraya l-Shura
• Quwat al-Shahid al-Sadr
• Harakat al-Nujaba'

Activities

The Popular Mobilization Forces have been credited for playing a crucial role in the fight against ISIS, including breaking the siege in the cities of Samarra and Amerli, as well as the liberation of Jurf Sakhar, Tikrit, Baiji, and Diyala Governorate. The organization’s the official website reports that, by the end of 2015, it had pushed ISIS out of 19 Iraqi cities and restored security in 52 transportation roads across the country. The website estimates the organization has liberated an area of 17,500 square kilometers, which is roughly one-third the regions occupied by ISIS.

After the defeat of ISIS, the Popular Mobilization Organization has been involved in clearing the remaining pockets of ISIS in various Iraqi governorates, including Baghdad, Saladin, Diyala, Kirkuk, Nineveh, and Al Anbar. Moreover, the organization is engaged in providing social services such as road construction, desert greening, ensuring the security of religious events (such as the Arba'in processions), and responding to emergencies such as floods.

Positions of Other Countries on the Organization

Approximately one year after the approval of the law of the "Popular Mobilization Organization", Rex Tillerson, the former US Secretary of State, described the organization as an Iranian militia, asking for its dissolution or integration into the Iraqi army. Some analysts believe that the US opposes the organization because it includes influential groups, including the Badr Organization, 'Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, and Kata'ib Hezbollah, which call for the US exit from Iraq. Others attribute the opposition to the close ties between some of these groups and Iran as well Sayyid 'Ali al-Sistani, or to fears of their influence on Iraqi elections. In June 2016, the former foreign minister of Saudi Arabia announced that the organization contributed to sectarian tensions, asking for its dissolution.

The Syrian president Bashar al-Assad met the head of the Popular Mobilization Forces on March 3, 2022, in which they emphasized the combat against state sponsors of terrorists. Moreover, according to Hadi al-'Amiri, the deputy of the organization, on November 16, 2016, Bashar al-Assad invited the organization to fight ISIS in Syria. Sayyid 'Ali al-Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, announced in a dialogue with Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim, the Leader of the National Wisdom Movement in Iraq, that al-Hashd al-Sha'bi was a capital for Iraq, which should be supported. Moreover, on August 19, 2021, Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah stated that reinforcing the organization was vital for the security of Iraq.

American Attack on the Organization’s Sites

On December 29, 2019, the US attacked the sites of the Popular Mobilization Forces in Al Anbar and the Iraqi-Syrian border, which left 25 casualties. The US Secretary Department declared that the attacks were in response to the organization’s attack on the US sites in Iraq. However, the organization refused to claim responsibility for attacks on US sites.

On June 8, 2021, the US once again attacked the organization’s sites on Iraqi-Syrian borders, which left four casualties. The US announced that the attack was a response to drone strikes by Iran-supported militia on American personnel and installations in Iraq. However, the Popular Mobilization Organization stated that the targeted forces had no part in any activities against foreign forces in Iraq.

Domestic Positions on the Organization

In 2021, Muqtada al-Sadr, a Shiite clergy and Iraqi political activist, called for the integration of the Popular Mobilization Forces into the Iraqi army. In 2022, he called for abolition of its political and commercial activities. However, Sayyid Kazim al-Ha'iri, a Shiite authority in Najaf, supported the organization as an independent force that should not be integrated into other forces, stating that it was necessary for the protection of the security in Iraq.

Shaykh Bashir al-Najafi, another Shiite authority in Najaf, characterized the organization as a supporting wing for Iraq and religious authority. However, he and another Shiite authority, Muhammad Ishaq al-Fayyadh, recommended the organization to avoid politics.

Some Iraqi analysts believe that the Popular Mobilization Forces are necessary for the fight against foreign threats and terrorists. Moreover, Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim, the leader of the Iraqi National Wisdom Movement, referred to the organization as a strategic necessity for Iraq, opposing its dissolution or integration into the army, although he also criticized its connections to certain political forces. Falih al-Fayyadh, the head of the Popular Mobilization Organization, rebutted accusations of its involvement in politics.

Monographs

The book, Say-i rawshan-i Hashd Sha'bi, by Amir Hamid Azad deals with the approach, history of formation, and challenges towards the Popular Mobilization Forces. The book, Hashd al-Sha'bi, by Shirzad Dadashi, is another Persian book on the matter.

Books in Arabic on this organization include: Al-Hashd al-Sha'bi: al-istiratijiyyat al-Amrikiyya wa-l-Hashd al-Sha'bi fi l-Iraq (The American strategy and the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq) by Zaynab Shu'aib, Al-Juyush al-muwaziya: milishat al-Hashd al-Sha'bi fi l-Iraq (Parallel armies: militias of the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq) by Ahmad Adli, and Al-Hashd al-Sha'bi al-rahan al-akhir (The Popular Mobilization Forces: the last bet) by a group of writers.

English books on the organization include: Iraqi Security Forces and Popular Mobilization Forces: Orders of Battle, and The Popular Mobilization Forces and Iraq's future.