Shabib Midhati, an activist in Baghdad, commented, “I am an eyewitness to the militarization and transformation of the community into a military barracks, the spread of weapons and military mobilization in the streets, schools, and social and religious activities,” he told Al-Monitor. “Visible signs of civil life, such as art galleries, music concerts and sporting events, are rare and receive little attention from either the state or public.”
Midhati added, “In Babil, there are no cinemas, no theaters, no billboards or artistic signs symbolizing civil life. They were replaced with signs calling on the people to join the war against IS.”
“The visible signs of militarization in the cities point to security vulnerabilities and problems,” Youssef Kallabi, a commander of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), told Al-Monitor. “The PMU are not responsible for these signs, as they are not present in the cities, but rather on the battlefields. If any of the fighters displayed any visible sign of militarization, it would be an individual behavior.”
Saad al-Matlabi, a member of the Baghdad City Council's Security Committee, dismissed Kallabi's assertion that PMU elements were not in the cities. “Some parties took advantage of the threat posed by IS to preserve their presence in the cities, including Baghdad,” Matlabi told Al-Monitor, without naming names but apparently referring to the PMU. Matlabi further asserted, “Whoever wears the PMU uniform in Baghdad should be arrested under the law and referred to the judiciary to be held accountable.”
Matlabi wants all armed forces and factions to withdraw from residential areas. “There is no need for them to be present in Baghdad, and their job is to be present on the battlefield or the Baghdad belt,” he said. “Their presence in the capital is a threat [to civil and civilian life].”
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