The Perennial 'One Army' Illusion
THE CLAIM: Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki asserts that a single national army, operating under the Commander-in-Chief's authority, is 'vital for Iraq's stability' and essential 'to prevent external interference and internal division.' This framing positions the integration of the PMF as a necessary step for national sovereignty and security. THE EVIDENCE: The Popular Mobilization
Forces (PMF), or Hashd al-Shaabi, emerged in 2014 following a fatwa from Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani to combat ISIS. Officially, they were integrated into the Iraqi armed forces in 2016 and further formalized by a 2018 parliamentary vote under Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. However, their command structure remains bifurcated, with significant factions maintaining direct ties to specific
political parties and, in some cases, to Iran. Their estimated strength varies, but they comprise dozens of factions, some with distinct ideological and operational autonomy from Baghdad. THE CONTRADICTIONS: Maliki's call for unity contradicts his own history and the PMF's operational reality. During his premiership (2006-2014), divisions within the Iraqi security forces were endemic, often
exacerbated by sectarian politics. The current push for 'integration' primarily serves to legitimize and institutionalize PMF elements aligned with specific political blocs, rather than genuinely disarming or fully subordinating them to a non-partisan chain of command. A 2019 report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) noted that despite nominal integration, 'many PMF units