Iraqi PMF finally holds military parade following delays

The Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) on Saturday commemorated the anniversary of its eighth establishment with a military parade, after much delay.

PMF was founded in June, 2014 after a fatwa (a religious call to action) was issued by Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the spiritual leader for Iraq’s Shias. Al-Sistani asked young men to step up to fight the Islamic State (IS), the extremist group which tore through Syria, before then capturing a third of Iraq in the summer of 2014. 

The PMF parade was held in Camp Abu Muntadhar al-Muhammadawi, formerly known as camp Asharaf, located 96 kilometrse north of Baghdad in Dyala province, in attendance of the Iraqi prime minister, and the general commander of the Iraqi armed forces, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, head of the PMF, Faleh al-Fayad, and the Iranian ambassador to Iraq, Mohamad Kadhim al-Sadiq.  

القائد العام للقوات المسلحة @MAKadhimi يحضر الاستعراض العسكري للحشد الشعبي لمناسبة الذكرى الثامنة لتأسيسه، بمشاركة عدد من صنوف قواتنا الأمنية. pic.twitter.com/XxEh7ndovI

— المكتب الإعلامي لرئيس الوزراء 🇮🇶 (@IraqiPMO) July 23, 2022

“Several units of the Iraqi security forces also participated in the parade,” according to Kadhimi’s press office.  

TNA contacted Mohanad al-Eqabi, a spokesperson of the PMF, however he was not immediately available to comment. 

The PMF showed many light, middle and heavy weapons, including an advanced T72 Russian-maid tank battalion, as well as drones. 

Delaying the parade was a response to the Friday mass prayer attended by hundreds of thousands of supporters of Moqtada al-Sadr in Baghdad on July 15,” a member in the Sadrist Movement, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, The New Arab's Arabic-language sister outlet.

Peace Brigades, a militia loyal to Sadr, did not participate in the parade.

The PMF fought against IS alongside the Iraqi Army and the Kurdish Peshmerga. With the help of the US-led international coalition, Iraqi security forces defeated the IS in 2017. But IS still launches attacks on ISF and civilians in contested areas of Diyala, Salaheddin, Kirkuk, and Nineveh.  

PMF militias were officially incorporated into the Iraqi armed forces in 2016, however some still back Iranian agendas in Iraq, and proudly show their loyalty to Iran.   

Last year, the PMF held its first military parade attended by Kadhimi and senior commanders in the PMF and the Iraqi security forces.