Al-Monitor:

A year ago on July 1,  then Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi issued a decree ordering the factions of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) to integrate fully into the state security forces.

A year later, they not only have not been integrated but are again resisting demands to assimilate with state security services, challenging the Iraqi government in multiple ways.

Previous efforts by Haider al-Abadi, who preceded Abdul Mahdi as prime minister, also failed. The PMU law Abadi introduced to parliament was approved, but he was unable to implement it.

Like his predecessors, current Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has given priority to dealing with this crucial problem. But some of the PMUs are digging in against him.

Kataib Hezbollah, a pro-Iran militia within the PMU, celebrated the June 29 release of members who had been rounded up a few days before by trampling on photos of Kadhimi and burning them together with US and Israeli flags.

The scene was shocking for Iraqi public, as the militia is a part of the Iraqi security forces, which are under the command of the prime minister as the commander in chief of the armed forces.

This puts the lie to statements from the PMU that it is an official security force affiliated legally with the Iraqi state.

Moreover, Kataib Hezbollah Secretary-General Ahmad al-Hamidawi said following the release of his militia’s detainees, “The weapons of the Islamic resistance are a fundamental legitimate right, and will not be given away except to Imam Mahdi (the 12th Shiite imam). The weapons will not be restricted or be taken away.”

The head of Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, Qais Khazali, had previously told Kadhimi that he never would be able to stop the resistance movement's attacks against US bases as none of the previous Iraqi governments were able to do so.

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