Baghdad: Qais al-Khazali, Secretary-General of the Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq movement, stressed on Friday that external pressures regarding the legislation of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) law have reached levels he described as “extremely dangerous.” Speaking during a lecture marking the anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) death, al-Khazali stated that the issue of the PMF law has shifted from a local matter to an “international issue,” noting that countries such as the United States and Britain openly discuss in the media the necessity of either dissolving or integrating the PMF.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, al-Khazali questioned the true aim of the ongoing debate over the law, asking: “Is the goal to pass the law, or is it primarily to dissolve and integrate the PMF?” He expressed surprise at the timing of the discussion, coinciding with statements made by some ambassadors.

He condemned remarks by one ambassador who said the PMF was established to confront ISIS, and since the organization “has ended and weakened,” there is no need for the PMF, calling these comments “insolent.” Al-Khazali added that such statements “lack innocence” as they ignore other threats to Iraq from regional developments or the “Zionist project” aiming for “redivision.”

Al-Khazali emphasized that these demands raise concerns for certain countries even though the PMF does not pose a threat to them, noting that “their insistence on dissolving or integrating the PMF” reveals the existence of a “conspiracy” against Iraq, and that there is a project that cannot succeed as long as the PMF exists.