Hashd al-Shaabi units in N. Iraq ‘unacceptable’: KDP

By Idris Okuducu

ERBIL, Iraq

Leading members of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) on Wednesday described reported efforts by the Shia Hashd al-Shaabi militia to raise armed units in northern Iraq as "unacceptable".

The assertion came in response to reports that the Hashd al-Shaabi was trying to raise armed units in the city of Tuz Khurmato in Iraq’s north-central Saladin province.

An umbrella group of pro-government Shia militias, the Hashd al-Shaabi was established in 2014 with the express purpose of fighting the Daesh terrorist group.

Ali Awni, a member of the KDP’s Leadership Council, told Anadolu Agency that the Hashd al-Shaabi had recently been trying to recruit fighters in Peshmerga-controlled areas of northern Iraq.

According to Awni, however, the KDP will never allow a non-Peshmerga force to operate in these areas.

Kamal al-Kirkuki, a member of the KDP’s political bureau, for his part, also described reported Hashd al-Shaabi recruitment activities in and around the northern city of Kirkuk as "unacceptable".

"The KDP will never accept the presence of a ‘Kurdish’ Hashd al-Shaabi affiliate in Kirkuk," he said. "This would be viewed as illegal."

According to al-Kirkuki, the Hashd al-Shaabi is not welcome in the region due to earlier "problems" it had with local Kurds in both Tuz Khurmato and southern Kirkuk -- problems he said had "cost several lives".

"Tuz Khurmato is a disputed area in the Kurdish region," al-Kirkuki asserted. "We want to resolve any problems between the Peshmerga and the Hashd al-Shaabi peacefully."

Located in Iraq’s Saladin province, the multi-ethnic city of Tuz Khurmato sits roughly 55 kilometers from Kirkuk.

The Hashd al-Shaabi has been accused in the past of committing violations against civilians in Sunni-majority areas that it has captured from Daesh -- allegations that it has denied.

Last month, Iraq’s parliament endorsed a proposal to formally incorporate the Hashd al-Shaabi into the Iraqi armed forces.

There is no official data regarding the size of the Hashd al-Shaabi, but some sources say it can field as many as 300,000 fighters.