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“Kurdish Popular Mobilization” is a name applied by a new armed militia in Kirkuk, amidst official statements denying and denouncing the matter. What is the truth of this group?
Videos and photos released on social media show that this militia was indeed established, and includes some 150 Kurdish tribal fighters.
As for its mission, according to its members, it is to “maintain security” in the Kurdish areas where the militants are stationed, which is denied by the Kurdistan Ministry of the Interior, and says that even if this militia is established, It will be canceled.
The People’s Mobilization Authority said this force has not been established and will not be formed in disputed areas, such as Kirkuk, according to local Iraqi media.
But in a clip broadcast by local television stations, Abu Imadoglu appeared, said to have been among the ranks of the Peshmerga before, and is currently the head of this force, as he announced the formation of the Kurdish Popular Mobilization Forces, which will be similar to the rest of the armed groups in the region that have such. These forces.
The head of the Popular Mobilization Forces in Kirkuk, Abu Imadoglu, confirmed this Saturday that the next few days will witness the formation of the Kurdish Mobilization Forces, similar to other components, and that they will be distributed across the borders of the Kirkuk governorate. . pic.twitter.com/YsFcWCMOF2
– ahmed.🇮🇶✌️🇮🇶 Ahmed (@ ahmed11081940) December 12, 2020
Adham Jumaa, the commander of the Kurdish Popular Mobilization Forces, told local media that the purpose of these forces is to protect the Kurdish borders and villages in Kirkuk.
He indicated that the first batch will include 150 people, who will be trained and distributed within the borders of the Kurdish regions, indicating that they will protect everyone within these areas, no matter who follows them.
The formation of a new regiment for the popular mobilization of the Kurds in Kirkuk.
Popular Mobilization Forces official Adham Jumaa said approval was obtained from the Mobilization Committee to form it and that it will spread across the southwestern regions of Kirkuk.
He added that this regiment of 120 Kurdish fighters will perform the same tasks as the Hashd Forces.
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Where are the security forces? pic.twitter.com/a80qVktO0M– شاهو القرةداغي (@shahokurdy) December 12, 2020
Observers who spoke with Al-Hurra said they believe that the establishment of such a militia at this time has one goal, which is “to reinforce divisions in this city (Kirkuk) and between the political forces in Baghdad and Kurdistan.”
They indicated that Iran does not want stability in this region as it has been “terrified” by the success of the Kurdistan experience and its experience with Baghdad in decentralized administration, that they do not want it to become a focus of administration in cities. Iraqis. Indicating that Iran wants to reinforce the state of chaos through militias loyal to it, which are not necessarily linked directly to the People’s Mobilization Authority, as it is enough to fulfill its duties in destabilizing security and chaos.
Cavalry forces
Iraqi political researcher Salim Souza told Al-Hurra that the popular crowd project in Kirkuk, and “is a new project of cavalry forces, and they were known by various names, such as Al-Jahosh, Jatta, the light regiments or the National Defense regiments “.
The establishment of the “Knights Forces” dates back to the beginning of the last century, but they emerged in the 1960s and 1970s, when “semi-regular” Iraqi forces included ethnic minority fighters, whose mission was to support the authority Iraqi.
And the ousted president, Saddam Hussein, used these forces and put them under the supervision of military officers, and they were targeting everyone who was opposed to Saddam’s regime at the time.
Recipe for unknown fates of the civil war
Suza called the establishment of such a force “a recipe for an upcoming civil war in Kirkuk”, noting that the authority in Iraq, which includes governments, political forces and others, still depends on the establishment of militias to solve any problems it faces. .
It is not known exactly who is behind the formation of this force, as Souza says, “Until now, we do not know who is behind the formation of this Kurdish crowd, especially with the official People’s Mobilization Authority denying any link to this new formation. “.
Suza refers to what is happening in Iraq since the establishment of armed forces, militias and mobs, under the pretext of fighting ISIS, so we have a Shiite crowd, a Sunni crowd, a Kurdish mobilization, an Arab crowd, another Christian, Turkmen and others.
“Why not trust the existing military establishment and its support to become the official body to fight ISIS and protect the country?”
Why Kirkuk? What is the relationship with Iran?
Iraqi political analyst Sarmad Al-Tai believes that the attempt to establish a “Kurdish mobilization” in Kirkuk cannot be a serious step, but is part of an attempt to exploit the state of political turmoil in the Kurdistan region.
He added in an interview with the Al-Hurra website that Iran, despite having relations with some political forces in Kurdistan, does not want its stability experiment to be successful, and that is why Tehran wants to weaken and influence them.
Iraqi political researcher Shaho Al-Qaradaghi told Al-Hurra that the establishment of the Kurdish crowd is “an escalation step, and it is clear that it aims to obstruct any agreement between Erbil and Baghdad regarding Kirkuk.”
He added that the Kurdish demands for the normalization of the situation in Kirkuk, the removal of the popular mass and the formation of police forces with the participation of all components cannot be ignored, but this step means that there is no intention to dismiss the rather, it is the consolidation of this phenomenon in the city that currently suffers from security problems.
Al-Qaradaghi pointed out that even though PMF leaders deny their knowledge of the establishment of the Kurdish mob in Kirkuk, the information and images that were released confirm that they are behind the move.
He indicated that the statements of the leaders of the new Kurdish crowd confirmed that the goal of establishing the armed group is to protect their areas from ISIS, as the Arabs and Turkmens have forces in the crowd, while the Kurds had no force in the crowd. the crowd so far.
Al-Qara Daghi said: “Shiite Turkmens possess the Turkmen crowd in the Khurmatu district and some areas south of Kirkuk, and the Arabs in the western regions of Kirkuk have groups within the crowd, and by officially establishing the crowd Kurdish, this will negatively affect stability in the region that is already suffering from the deteriorating security situation. Due to the risk of collision between these militias in the event of a conflict of interest and the existence of sectarian problems in the region ”.
Iran is “terrified”
Al-Tai says that Baghdad is trying to negotiate with the Kurdistan government to organize decentralized administration, and if this experiment is successful, it could apply to Basra as well, and Iran is terrified by this idea.
He added that Iran wants, through these militias, to strengthen internal divisions and widen the gap between political actors, according to Al-Tai.
A step to prevent the return of the Peshmerga
Al-Qaradaghi believes that the Al-Maradi crowd has established itself “to prevent the return of the Peshmerga forces and to hinder any solution to address the crisis in Kirkuk, in addition to creating a state of division within the Kurdish component in the city, and try to further strengthen sectarian and sectarian divisions. “
He added that Peshmerga forces participated in the war against ISIS, and were the most disciplined forces according to international certificates to protect these areas, as they did in 2014 during the terrorist organization’s attack on Kirkuk in the context of the Iraqi army’s withdrawal. .
Al-Qaradaghi confirms that other armed groups operate within ideological formations that privilege foreign interests and agendas over Iraq’s interests, and are proud of their loyalty and belonging to the Iranian expansionist project in the region, and from this point of view, it is It is difficult for political forces and even citizens to be convinced of this military training and its usefulness in their regions.
Kurdish political forces
Kurdish political parties in Kirkuk refused to form the Kurdish crowd and considered it a dangerous step that hinders the achievement of joint agreements between Erbil and Baghdad, calling for the formation of a joint force to protect this region.
The military leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Kamal Kirkuki, considered that “the Kurds who joined this formation in the crowd are traitors,” Al-Qaradaghi reported on the Al-Hurra website.
Daghi called on the political forces in Erbil and Baghdad to reach political understandings and pay close attention to what is happening in the region, as each time the two sides agree to reach a final agreement, the States parties and militias exploiting the security vacuum try to block negotiations, in order to keep the situation suspended without worrying about the future of the city.
The “popular crowd” in Iraq formed in 2014 after Shiite cleric Ali al-Sistani issued the “Fatwa of Effective Jihad”, in which he urged Iraqis to fight ISIS to stop its expansion after to control a third of Iraq.
Al-Sistani’s call led to the unification of existing armed organizations with newly formed ones, including the “sanctuary mobilization” factions. This vast network of armed factions fought alongside the Iraqi army against ISIS.
Since 2016, differences within the “popular crowd” began to appear publicly, as Iran-linked “loyal mobilization” factions lobbied for full subordination to Tehran without loyalty to Baghdad, while factions of the “mobilization of sanctuaries” they only want loyalty to Baghdad.
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