As the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant surged into Iraq in the summer of 2014, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called on Iraqis to volunteer to protect their country. From this initiative emerged the Popular Mobilization Forces, which were largely organized by pro-Iran and Iranian-supported militias.
On 01 July 2019 Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi issued a decree that further integrated the Popular Mobilization Forces, which have proven a decisive force in Baghdad's counter-terrorism operations, into the country's armed forces. These changes did not change how these groups operate, and to some, made them even more dangerous.
On June 14th members of the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) paramilitary force took part in a military parade in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, marking the sixth anniversary of its founding after Iraq's top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani called to defend the country from the Islamic State group (IS).
