Faleh Al-Fayyad: Iraq to pass new PMF Law as part of force restructuring

Shafaq News/ The head of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), Faleh Al-Fayyad, announced on Thursday that the Iraqi Parliament will soon pass the Administrative Structure Law.

Speaking at a ceremony honoring PMF officers, Al-Fayyad praised the law, describing it as “a new step toward rebuilding the PMF along updated frameworks that strengthen the authority’s presence and establish it as a disciplined and accountable institution.”

He further revealed that the draft law currently under review in Parliament includes the creation of a dedicated PMF Academy. “This academy is expected to consist of military and technical colleges, as well as departments for leadership, strategic studies, and the humanities.”

Al-Fayyad’s remarks come amid ongoing parliamentary debate surrounding two separate PMF-related laws that have faced repeated delays due to internal political disputes and unresolved leadership issues.

The first draft law, known as the PMF Administrative Structure Law, outlines the legal framework governing the PMF’s internal operations, personnel duties, and institutional rights. Initially passed as Law No. 40 of 2016, the law includes 17 articles addressing organizational structure, the creation of new directorates, and legal hierarchies. Parliament completed a first reading, and according to sources, a second reading and possible approval are expected soon.

The second and more controversial draft, the PMF Service and Retirement Law, contains over 86 articles covering a wide range of personnel rights, including those of PMF martyrs, wounded members, missing individuals, and brigade commanders. The draft has become a political flashpoint due to a contentious provision that sets a mandatory retirement age for PMF commanders.

This provision could significantly impact over 4,000 PMF members, including senior leadership figures and, notably, Al-Fayyad himself—a prominent Shiite figure who has already surpassed the legal age for holding a ministerial post. The absence of a clear successor has further fueled the controversy, stalling the bill’s progress in Parliament.

International concern has also emerged over the legislation. A recent analysis from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy urged the US administration under former President Donald Trump to “quietly but firmly signal Baghdad that enshrining the militia umbrella group as a de facto Iraqi IRGC would pose an unacceptable threat to U.S. interests.”

In his speech, Al-Fayyad rejected such claims, stating, “Our enemies have attempted to depict the PMF as a rogue or separate force, but that is simply not true. We are an official entity operating under the authority of the Commander-in-Chief (PM Mohammed Shia al-Sudani).”