ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – A controversial Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) law strongly rejected by Washington is set to be passed by the Iraqi parliament “in the coming days,” a spokesperson for the force claimed late Wednesday, amid an ongoing weapons restriction program by Baghdad. 

The proposed bill includes the Service and Retirement Law for the PMF and aims to organize the Popular Mobilization Commission (PMC) like other state security and military agencies.

When integrated into the state in 2016, the law did not spell out issues such as structure, institutionalization, retirement, benefits, or compensation for the families of fighters killed in battle. The new law is intended to fill those gaps and to place PMF personnel on equal footing with members of other security institutions.

“The law will be passed in the coming days, and all indications point towards its approval as there are no pressures to prevent its approval,” Muhannad al-Aqabi, the PMF’s head of media, told state media. 

He further defended the proposed law, saying it “will ensure the stability of the organization [PMF].” 

The PMF, known as Hashd al-Shaabi, was formed upon a call by Iraq’s top Shiite authority Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani soon after the Islamic State (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 bill, which further signals long-term integration for the network, would give them greater autonomy from the defense ministry.

Earlier in August, Iraq’s first deputy parliament speaker Adnan Faihan said that the parliament speakership supports approving the controversial law, calling its potential enactment “a reward for the sacrifices of the martyrs and the wounded and the heroism of its men.” 

The bill, however, is heavily opposed by Washington, with the US concerned that it would legitimize armed groups with strong links to Iran, including some responsible for attacks on US interests and the killing of American personnel. 

Iran-backed Iraqi factions – many of which are incorporated into the Iraqi state security apparatus as part of the PMF – have claimed responsibility for several attacks on US interests in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, including the US Embassy in Baghdad, the Consulate General in Erbil, and American military bases.

The US has responded to the attacks by targeting the Iran-aligned groups, including in late July when the US and Saudi Arabia struck PMF positions, killing and injuring dozens as retaliation for alleged strikes on Saudi oil facilities.