Sun 14 Apr 2019:
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, Anadolu Agency reports.
“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.
