Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has issued a new decree on the restructuring of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) after around three months of a similar order.
A source, who preferred to remain anonymous, said that both orders serve the same purpose that is comprehensive structuring of PMF. While the first decree laid the general framework, the second came to tackle details, the source noted.
This will be followed by other decrees on the PMF deployment-regions, their tasks and merging all brigades in one institution with forecasts that all factions would abide by the new instructions, the source continued.
The new structure consists of three division: office of the chairman, general secretary and chief of staff.
Several Iraqi local parties see that the new order deprived Deputy Chairman Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis his power over the PMF, knowing that during the past months he caused several crises inside the organization.
Muhandis announced earlier forming an aerial force, which PMF head Faleh al-Fayadh had denied.
Dr. Hisham al-Hashemi, a security expert, told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that it is unlikely that Muhandis would be assigned to the chief of staff – he affirmed that the visit of Iran's Major General Qassem Soleimani was for the sake of reaching a settlement: either to dismiss Muhandis or maintain the leaders and Muhandis with minimum powers.
Hashemi sees that Abdul Mahdi has sought since a long time to establish a new structure that embodies national unity inside the PMF, away from party, regional, tribal, ethnic, and sectarian beliefs.
The leaders are aware that the restructure epitomizes procedures that reduce their powers, unite the forces under the Iraqi state and provide a legal framework to protect them from Israel, US and its allies.
