Ex-Iraqi premier calls for disbanding Hashd al-Shaabi

By Ibrahim Saleh

BAGHDAD (AA) – Former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has called for disbanding the Hashd al-Shaabi, a largely Shia paramilitary force that provides support for government troops.

"The mission of the Hashd al-Shaabi has ended after victory against the Daesh terrorist group," Allawi, the head of Al-Wataniya coalition, said in statements.

He proposed that members of the paramilitary force could join the Iraqi police or military forces.

"The dissolution of Hashd al-Shaabi is a move to turn Iraq into a civilian state," Allawi, whose coalition has 21 seats in the 329-member parliament, argued.

Established in 2014 with the express purpose of fighting Daesh, the Hashd al-Shaabi was formally incorporated into the Iraqi army in 2017.

The Shia force has been accused in the past of committing abuses against non-Shia residents of areas recently liberated from Daesh -- allegations that the Hashd al-Shaabi denies.