By Hadi Hassan

BAGHDAD

The Iraqi government has decided to integrate the Hashd al-Shaabi, an umbrella group of Shia militias, into the Iraqi armed forces, a spokesman for Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi told Anadolu Agency.

"The Hashd al-Shaabi will become an independent part of the Iraqi army," the spokesman, Saad al-Hadithi, said.

"It will be linked to the Armed Forces’ General Command and will be modeled on Iraq’s counter-terrorism apparatus in terms of organization and structure," he added.

Iraq’s counter-terrorism apparatus, which operates under the Armed Forces’ General Command, was created and trained by the US military.

"Members of the Hashd al-Shaabi, however, must remain outside any political or social framework," al-Hadithi said.

"For example, its members won’t be allowed to be affiliated with any political parties," he added.

Established in mid-2014, the Hashd al-Shaabi consists of Shia volunteers who have fought alongside the Iraqi security forces in an effort to recapture Iraqi cities from the Daesh terrorist group.

The Shia militia, however, has been accused of committing abuses against the Sunni populations of cities recently retaken from Daesh.