Assadi went on, “The decision has already been implemented, and government offices have been established in Iraq’s provinces. These offices are managed by civil and military figures who register the members of the armed factions willing to be part of the project to turn the PMU into a security force affiliated with the prime minister.”
The reluctance of some parties is not the only challenge for this project. Majid al-Gharawi, a member of the Iraqi parliament's Security and Defense Committee, told Al-Monitor, “There are [other] obstacles hindering the restructuring process of the PMU, namely the financial allocations and the inclusion of its budget into the state budget. Also, the exclusion of political figures from PMU operations will be hard.”
In either case — whether the PMU remain associated with partisan leaders or become a government force — the PMU are likely to remain after IS is defeated. On July 4, the Badr parliamentary bloc stressed the importance of the PMU continuing to protect civilians even after IS is completely defeated across the country.
However, some oppose the idea of the PMU remaining after IS’ elimination from Iraqi territories, which is expected to happen this year. They believe it is necessary to dissolve the fighting force. On the regional level, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubair said July 2, “The PMU are sectarian, and they should be dissolved as they exacerbate sectarian tension.” Other local parties, such as Liqaa al-Wardi, a parliament member for the Union of Nationalist Forces, agreed, calling for the dissolution of the PMU in a press statement June 26.
According to the Sunni Union of Nationalist Forces, the alternative is to turn the PMU into a local force, with each province having its own army made up of its own residents. This “National Guard” idea is mentioned in the political reconciliation document adopted by the government.
Political activist Hadi Wali al-Zalimi told Al-Monitor, “The loyalty of the armed factions will remain limited to the leaders of parties, groups and regions. Naming those armed factions the ‘Popular Mobilization Units’ will not change the fact that they will remain loyal to the political or religious leaders that represent them and support them.”
It seems clear that positions toward the PMU depend on each party's political interests and relations with regional countries. Iran, for instance, backs the PMU and provides them with arms and financial support. Saudi Arabia is calling for the dissolution of the PMU, while the UAE classified some of the PMU factions as “terrorist groups” in 2014.
In any case, what is important for Iraq is that the strengths of the PMU are put to work for the country's interests. Should the PMU be dissolved, the fate of their members should not be neglected. Job opportunities should be offered to them, and the unemployed should receive welfare or retirement pensions. Their fighting experience could also benefit the security forces, and individuals could be recruited to work for them.
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