Iraqi President Fuad Masum approved on Monday a law passed by parliament in November that incorporated the Shia-led volunteer militia, Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), in the country’s national forces, IraqiNews reported.
The approval came to honor “whoever sacrificed his blood in defense of Iraq” and to “ensure that weapons are only in the hands of the state,” a statement by his media office said.
This was deemed controversial by the Sunni groups in parliament as the PMU are a predominately Shi’ite militia.
The PMU were formed by a decree from Iraq’s top Shia clergy to combat the ISIS militants who took over many regions of Iraq in 2014, the report continud.
Because of this incorporation, the PMU are now subject to the supreme commander of the national armed forces and will no longer be affiliated to any political or social group.
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