ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Iraqi foreign ministry on Sunday informed the UK ambassador to Baghdad of its “strong objection” to recent comments made by the diplomat where he called for reevaluating the role of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in Iraq after the defeat of the Islamic State (ISIS).

In an interview with an Iraqi channel on Friday, Irfan Siddiq, UK's ambassador to Baghdad, said that ending the miliary mission of the global coalition is because the war against ISIS is “almost over,” and therefore the role of the PMF must also be reevaluated accordingly.

“There is now a decision from the [Iraqi] government that the [coalition's] mission has ended... and that there is no need for its continuation. If there is no need for the coalition, what is the need for the PMF in the same picture?” said the diplomat during the interview.

Mohammed Hussein Bahr al-Uloom, the Iraqi foreign ministry’s undersecretary for bilateral relations, received Siddiq on Sunday to express the Iraqi government’s “deep concern” over the ambassador’s comments, “which the Iraqi government considers a violation of diplomatic norms and interference in the country's internal affairs.”

The undersecretary said that this behavior contravenes the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, urging Siddiq to “refrain from any further statements or activities of this kind and to act in a manner that supports friendly relations between the two countries.”

Iraq and the US in September 2024 announced they had reached an agreement to wrap up the coalition’s military presence in the country by “no later than the end of September 2025” and transition to bilateral security partnerships “in a manner that supports Iraqi forces and maintains pressure on ISIS.”

The decision came after the Iraqi government repeatedly stated that there was no longer a need for the coalition’s mission in Iraq since ISIS has been defeated.

The PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi, was formed upon a call by Iraq’s top Shiite authority Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani soon after ISIS took over large swathes of territory in Iraq. The force has been officially incorporated into the Iraqi armed forces, enjoying similar privileges as the Iraqi army. The PMF is widely regarded as having close ties with Iran.

A proposed bill approved by the Council of Ministers in February includes the Service and Retirement Law for the PMF and aims to organize the Popular Mobilization Commission (PMC) similarly to other state security and military agencies.

The US has strongly opposed the bill, saying it “institutionalizes armed groups associated with terrorist entities and leaders, including some that have attacked US interests and killed US personnel.”