BAGHDAD: Iraqi Shiite paramilitary groups that fought against Daesh should be incorporated into state security bodies, the country’s top Shiite cleric said on Friday.
All weapons used to fight Daesh should be brought under the control of the Iraqi government, said Ali Al-Sistani.
He urged Haider Abadi, prime minister and commander in chief of the armed forces, to institutionalize paramilitary troops and benefit from their experience to support the security establishment. Abadi last week declared victory over Daesh, which seized swathes of territory in June 2014.
“The victory over Daesh does not represent the end of the battle with terrorism and terrorists,” said Al-Sistani.
“This battle will continue as long as there are people who were misled and embraced extremist thought,” he added.
“Beware of laxity in dealing with this constant threat… Hidden terrorist members and sleeper cells… are looking for opportunities to undermine the security and stability of the country.
“The Iraqi security establishment is still in dire need of the many heroic men who backed the army and federal police forces during the last few years, and fought with them on various fronts and did well in the most rugged areas and the harshest conditions.
“It is necessary to continue to use these important energies (the fighters) within the constitutional and legal frameworks that restrict arms to the state.”
The collapse of the Iraqi Army in 2014 and Daesh’s advance toward Baghdad prompted Al-Sistani to issue a religious edict urging Iraqis to volunteer to fight Daesh and stop its advance.
Tens of thousands of Iraqis, mainly Shiites, responded and fought alongside the government under the umbrella of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), which was established by former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki. Shiite militias backed by Iran represented the backbone of the PMU.
Iraq’s Parliament legalized the PMU late last year, but Abadi has been facing pressure to dissolve it as it is widely seen as Iran’s armed wing in Iraq.
Al-Sistani’s speech supports Abadi’s efforts to institutionalize the PMU and turn it into a regular security apparatus that is fully subject to military standards approved by the defense and interior ministries.
“Parliament has issued the law of the PMU but left all details related to the number of troops, their kinds of weapons, missions, camps, where they have to be deployed… to Abadi,” Hisham Al-Hashimi, an Iraqi military and security analyst, told Arab News. “Al-Sistani has put all the responsibility on Abadi.”
Saraya Al-Salam, the armed wing of influential Shiite cleric Muqtada Sadr, as well as the Badr Organization and Asaib Ahl Al-Haq, the most powerful groups within the PMU, last week announced their readiness to hand over their weapons and put their fighters under Abadi’s command.
Iraqi officials told Arab News that the registered number of PMU fighters is more than 120,000, but most of them do not meet military standards regarding age, health and education.
“If Abadi applied military standards to the PMU, that would mean the demobilization of tens of thousands of fighters,” retired Gen. Emad Allow told Arab News.
“The government should provide job opportunities and training for demobilized fighters before sending them back on the street,” he said.
“The Defense Ministry and PMU commanders are already in talks to institutionalize the PMU, but no significant changes will take place on the ground soon.”
Paramilitaries should be incorporated in Iraqi security bodies: Top Shiite cleric
Paramilitaries should be incorporated in Iraqi security bodies: Top Shiite cleric
Washington presses Syria to shift from Chinese telecom systems
- Syria is exploring the possibility of procuring Chinese technology
- It was unclear whether the United States pledged financial or logistical support to Syria to do so
DAMASCUS: The United States has warned Syria against relying on Chinese technology in its telecommunications sector, arguing it conflicts with US interests and threatens US national security, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
The message was conveyed during an unreported meeting between a US State Department team and Syrian Communications Minister Abdulsalam Haykal in San Francisco on Tuesday. Washington has been coordinating closely with Damascus since 2024, when Syria’s now President Ahmed Al-Sharaa ousted longtime leader Bashar Assad, who had a strategic partnership with China.
Syria is exploring the possibility of procuring Chinese technology to support its telecommunications towers and the infrastructure of local Internet service providers, according to a Syrian businessman involved in the procurement talks.
“The US side asked for clarity on the ministry’s plans regarding Chinese telecom equipment,” said another source briefed on the talks.
But Syrian officials said infrastructure development projects were time-critical and that Damascus was seeking greater vendor diversity, the source added.
SYRIAN OFFICIALS CITE US EXPORT CONTROLS AS TELECOMS BARRIER
Syria is open to partnering with US firms but the matter was urgent and export controls and “over-compliance” remained an issue, according to person familiar with the meeting in San Francisco.
A US diplomat familiar with the discussions told Reuters that the US State Department “clearly urged Syrians to use American technology or technology from allied countries in the telecoms sector.”
It was unclear whether the United States pledged financial or logistical support to Syria to do so.
Responding to Reuters questions, a US State Department spokesperson said: “We urge countries to prioritize national security and privacy over lower-priced equipment and services in all critical infrastructure procurement. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
The spokesperson added that Chinese intelligence and security services “can legally compel Chinese citizens and companies to share sensitive data or grant unauthorized access to their customers’ systems” and promises by Chinese companies to protect customers’ privacy were “entirely inconsistent with China’s own laws and well-established practices.”
China has repeatedly rejected allegations of it using technology for spying purposes.
The Syrian Ministry of telecommunications told Reuters any decisions related to equipment and infrastructure are made “in accordance with national technical and security standards, ensuring data protection and service continuity.”
The ministry said it is also prioritizing the diversification of partnerships and technology sources to serve the national interest.
Syria’s telecom infrastructure has relied heavily on Chinese technology due to US sanctions imposed on successive Assad governments over the civil war that grew from a crackdown on anti-government protests in 2011.
Huawei technology accounts for more than 50 percent of the infrastructure of Syriatel and MTN, the country’s only telecom operators, according to a senior source at one of the companies and documents reviewed by Reuters. Huawei did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Syria is seeking to develop its private telecommunications sector, devastated by 14 years of war, by attracting foreign investment.
In early February, Saudi Arabia’s largest telecom operator, STC, announced it would invest $800 million to “strengthen telecommunications infrastructure and connect Syria regionally and internationally through a fiber-optic network extending over 4,500 kilometers.”
The ministry of telecommunications says that US restrictions “hinder the availability of many American technologies and services in the Syrian market,” emphasizing that it welcomes expanding cooperation with US companies when these restrictions are lifted.
Syria has inadequate telecommunications infrastructure, with network coverage weak outside city centers and connection speeds in many areas barely exceeding a few kilobits per second.
