BAGHDAD – Four Iraqi armed factions, close to Supreme Shiite cleric Ali al-Sistani, are leading a campaign to persuade semi-official combat groups to change their affiliation to the Iraqi government rather than the PMF, which is completely controlled by Iran.
These four factions formally disengaged from the Popular Mobilization Authority and joined the General Command of the Armed Forces, according to a decree signed by resigned Prime Minister Adel Abdel-Mahdi as the supreme commander of the military establishment.
Sources familiar with the developments of this file said that the transformation of the four armed factions is the first step in a project aimed at withdrawing groups involved in the PMF from the area of Iranian hegemony.
Observers say that the factions led by close associates of Sistani and who participated in the war against ISIS have been studying for this step for weeks, after Abu Fadak was appointed commander-in-chief of the Popular Mobilization Forces, succeeding Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was killed in the raid that targeted Iranian General Qassem Soleimani at the beginning of the year. Running near Baghdad airport.
The sources say that Maitham al-Zaidi, a cleric close to one of Sistani’s prominent agents, has proposed a plan to transfer the factions wishing to leave the Iran-run body to the General Command of the Armed Forces.
20 thousand fighters end their association with Abovdak, chief of staff of the popular crowd linked to Tehran
It was not possible to put forward this plan had it not been for the increased chances of Prime Minister-designate Mustafa Al-Kazemi to form the new Iraqi government.
Al-Zaidi negotiated with Al-Kazemi during the past days, and he obtained a pledge not to dissolve the PMF factions that voluntarily move from the authority to the General Command of the Armed Forces in any other regular formation, to preserve their symbolism that was linked to the victories they achieved during the war against ISIS.
Informed sources say that the plan, which is being implemented by Zaidi, has the blessing of Sistani, so confronting it means challenging the most influential cleric in the ranks of the twelve Shiites in Iraq and the world.
The sources say that the channels of communication between the four factions and many other groups are open to convince them that a safe future requires attachment to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and not to a body led by your delegation.
The plan includes setting a deadline for the factions that want to link to the Office of the Commander in Chief to resolve their affairs, provided that the government takes a decision to consider groups that insist on linking with your delegation to outlaws militias that are not allowed to engage in any activities on the ground in Iraq.
Iraqi political sources say that this plan will constitute a crucial test for the Iraqi factions, and their commitment to the national decision, after presenting themselves for years as part of a cross-border resistance project aimed at expelling the United States from the region, destroying Saudi Arabia and eliminating Israel.
Observers do not rule out the occurrence of internal frictions to prevent some factions from responding to the plan to join the official military institution, amid a bet that the Shiite street will reject any militia close to Iran if it is involved in any armed conflict.
Blogger Ali Fadel says, “The clear difference for years between the mobilization of Marjaiya and the mobilization of al-Maliki represented by the state factions affiliated with Iran is only a message to the people, the government and America, that the crowd of Iran does not represent us.”
He adds that “the clear fragmentation between the factions heralds a battle to break the bone internally.”
Observers believe that there are, among other things, helping to implement this plan, whose ultimate goal is to put an end to the peace of the escaped militias, among them the great opportunity of Al-Kazemi to form the government, and what was known about his position against the Shiite factions, and the decline in the level of Iranian influence in Iraq and Syria due to the US sanctions In addition to the Iranian internal preoccupation for weeks, containing the Corona epidemic.
Observers say that these shifts in the political geography surrounding Iran may push it to internal retreat in the months and years to come, after field experiments have proven that the scope of destruction will widen in any country that decides to interfere in its affairs.
The appointment of Abovdak enshrined absolute Iranian hegemony over the PMF, although it is an institution affiliated with the Iraqi government.
Before Soleimani was killed, Abdel-Mahdi did not dare issue orders to the PMF.
When elements of the militia linked to the Hashd were found to have been involved in violations and transgressions during the past year, Abdul-Mahdi issued a series of orders to vacate headquarters controlled by armed groups and raise irregular checkpoints inside cities, and he did not find anyone to listen to.
When the engineer was killed, no one expected that his successor would be a person with no explicit name known, only a secret nickname similar to the gangsters and mafia, and all his qualifications are very loyal to Iran.
Abovdk can mobilize a military force of 150,000 people, which is more than enough to control the entire Iraqi capital.
And now, the number of this force has decreased to 130,000, after 20,000 fighters joined the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and is likely to continue to decline in the next few weeks.
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