Alwaght- Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has issued a decree, ordering the formal inclusion of pro-government fighters from the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in the country's security forces.
According to the decree announced on Thursday, the volunteer forces, better known by the Arabic name Hashd al-Shaabi, will be granted many of the same rights as members of the military.
The decree added that PM forces will be given equivalent salaries to those members of the military under the Ministry of Defense's control.
They will also be subject to the laws of military service, and will gain access to military institutes and colleges.
Iraq has repeatedly condemned allegations of sectarian nature against Popular Mobilization Forces.
Saudi Arabia has repeatedly labeled the PMF, which incorporates volunteer forces from different Iraqi factions and tribes, as a Shiite movement and called for the dismantling of the group.
The Iraqi parliament on November 26, 2016 approved a law giving full legal status to PMF fighters. It recognized the PMF as part of the national armed forces, placed the volunteer fighters under the command of the prime minister, and granted them the right to receive salaries and pensions like the regular army and police forces.
Following the occupation of large swathes of the country by ISIS terrorists in 2014, the PMF played a major role that led to the defeat of the brutal and notorious Takfiri terrorist group last year.
